Health care information – Health Darkdaughta

Quitting smoking may not be easy and might be a stressful time, BUT for only 7 to 10 days. That is a very short time to cry and scream when compared to the rest of your life. Nothing of true value comes without effort. Smoking cessation will allow you to be free from nicotine addiction.

Most addictions are habits or duties we lack the courage to end. “Courage is not the absence of fear, but the conquest of it” – (Anon). It takes courage to grow up and become who you really want to be. Before smokers eventually quit smoking, they often try 5 to 10 times to overcome the deadly habit. Finally, though, they do succeed. Winston Churchill said “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm”. Hopefully the No-More-Cravings Quit Smoking Program will be your final step to success.

Consider pregnancy. The poor woman goes through nine long months of nausea and discomfort and pains, but there is rarely resentment associated with the period of turmoil, and once the bubby enters the world all the grievances are quickly forgotten. The 9 month journey was worth it. The discomfort of Quitting Smoking could be likened to a pregnancy with a 10-day duration.

What about the baby? Confined and restricted. At the end of the “pregnancy” you will be reborn. Like a rebirth you will have to grow and adapt to the new surroundings. You will feel uncomfortable in the new environment. The nicotine-filled supportive and protective amniotic fluid you were bathed in has been drained. Your umbilical cord to your nicotine supply will have been severed, but you will finally be able to breathe fresh unpolluted air for the first time in a long time. Like a newborn you will have to get over the former comfort zone that you were so used to during the “pregnancy”, and adjust to new and unfamiliar surroundings. Like a newborn, it may be uncomfortable and you may feel like crying and yelling because you are laying in the poo and feel damp and uncomfortable, wishing you were being nursed and comforted with your nicotine soother. Just as babies cry because they are hungry and craving nourishment in their tummy, to a small degree you will crave the nicotine to soothe your “hunger”. But this will only occur for a short time. Will you really miss laying in the poo and feeling hunger pangs?

Which adult never went through the aforementioned turmoil before they matured and stood strong and confident? But in spite of the messy and undignified beginning, how many adults remember or even think about the inconveniences of hunger and pooey nappies of their babyhood? Isn’t it ironic that the adult cravings of nicotine-withdrawal have so much in common with a helpless newborn? Quitting smoking is all worth it. Once you have quit, eventually you will not miss lying in the poo and feeling the hunger pangs for nicotine. You will have been liberated for the rest of your life from the nicotine cravings and the desire to smoke cigarettes.

If you are a cigarette smoker and want to be free from nicotine addiction, carefully consider why you want to quit. Choose a few good reasons that apply to you and you alone, not what your partner or loved ones have said. It is absolutely essential to know very accurately why you want to quit. There are all the obvious reasons – the money you would save, the improved health, the freedom from nicotine addiction and so on. But that was not enough for you to take the leap. Having a clearly defined list of reasons that are specific to you will incite you to be brave and concentrate your efforts on those reasons alone to quit smoking, and to empower yourself to finally stop smoking and become victorious, liberated and personally empowered.

Remember when you were younger how much you wanted to get a license but were not sure about the road rules and how to perform parallel parks. Well, you kept your mind on driving your first car and you managed to get through all the hoops, didn’t you? It is not enough to just think about the reasons you want to quit smoking. Write down your list of reasons three times and place one on the bathroom mirror with Blue-Tack, one on the fridge using a fridge magnet, and one around your packet of cigarettes with a rubber band, so that every time you reach for a cigarette you are constantly reminded of your endeavour, and that in your mind the quitting journey has already begun. In this way you are helping to nurture and remodel your Shen (see Chapter 19 of the book No More Cravings Quit Smoking Program”). Wars are never won without elaborate, written down plans before the battle begins. Start your battle plan now and you will ensure that your journey to quitterdom has already begun.

Just as each element of war games has a practical purpose, make your reasons for quitting smoking practical and very specific for you and your life and goals and aspirations. The time will come when every time you reach for one more cigarette you will feel less inclined to have a cigarette and hold out a little longer, until when the time is right for you, you will surely say “no, never again”.

If you are truly serious about changing your life like you have wanted for so long, then make sure you write down a personal “Pledge of Commitment to Quit Smoking” to yourself and sign and date the legal agreement with yourself. If you are not prepared to do this simple thing, then you are NOT ready to quit smoking just yet.

Many smokers would not agree that they could do anything without a cigarette. In fact many can’t imagine going for more than a couple of hours without nicotine, let alone managing a crisis without a smoke to calm them down.

A question I frequently ask smokers is what do they think non smokers do when they are stressed, bored etc.

Mostly the smokers look a little blank and admit they really don’t know. They are so locked in to using cigarettes to manage all kinds of situations ranging from the bad to the good to the boring, they lose perspective and understanding of how a person manages life without some kind of brain altering chemical.

This fact accounts for why many smokers are fearful of quitting. It’s not just quitting that is the problem it’s having to face the reality of life without their nicotine support system.

If you are a smoker and you can relate to this then the first thing to acknowledge is that if millions of non smokers can manage their ups and downs in life
then so can you.

When you are down you smoke, when you are up you smoke, when you are bored you smoke and when you are trying to concentrate you smoke. Someone from another planet would think that cigarettes have a magical quality to be able to do all these amazing things.

But if you look closer at the science of nicotine you will see that smoking causes anxiety so it can’t help when you are stressed or anxious.

-Smoking when trying to concentrate doesn’t work either, imagine using 4000 toxic chemicals to try and clear your brain.

-Smoking makes food and drink taste like burnt offerings.

-Smoking makes you, your clothes, hair and car smell like a garbage dump fire.

-Smoking reduces blood flow, and affects the entire cardiovascular system so sex surely isn’t likely to be enhanced.

-Smoking attacks the pancreas making blood sugar balance difficult, therefore your moods will suffer.

Are you still thinking that you can’t do anything without a cigarette, or maybe you have softened your stance, and realise that non smokers can and do manage life just fine without having to light up.

Of course many non smokers can turn to alcohol or drugs or other forms of destructive behaviour, it would seem that stopping smoking doesn’t make us perfect, just healthier, if not wiser.

You’ve heard of shea butter and all the amazing things that it can do for your skin, but what about cocoa butter? Does it work the same way? Is it just used in chocolate?

Let’s get one thing out of the way. Cocoa butter IS used int he production of white, dark and milk chocolate. It is the essential ingredient in the production of most everyone’s favorite stress reliever. It derives from the cacao bean, a natural and edible vegetable fat, so it is safe to consume. However, in its most raw form, it also has many cosmetic and health uses.

First and foremost, cocoa butter can be bought in bulk or wholesale and used as a moisturizer for the skin. When applied directly to dry skin, it can help prevent stretch marks. Oftentimes pregnant women will begin applying the product throughout pregnancy and after-birth to help reduce the effects of stretch marks and build the elasticity of the skin without damaging it. When applied directly, it can also help reduce the effects of eczema and dermatitis.

If you apply cocoa butter to scars or dry skin, you will notice results almost instantly. The application will cause the skin to glow and slowly reduce the signs of scars over time. It contains Vitamin E, which is a natural ingredient that has many health benefits in its raw form. Vitamin E can also be bought wholesale and in bulk, but if you want the benefits of Vitamin E, you can also just apply cocoa butter and reap the benefits.

Herbalists and natural therapy specialists recommend cocoa butter for use in stress relief, cancer prevention, and immunity to diseases. The antiseptic nature of it is great for cuts, bruises, snake bites, etc.

So how does cocoa butter benefit the skin in so many ways? It’s because it is able to reach the second layer of skin, reaching the skin cells that are harder to reach. As a moisturizer, it gets to this level (the dermis level) and repairs damaged cells and replenish collagen that has been lost in the skin. When collagen is repaired, the skin begins to take on a more stable coloring, making it look fresh and glowing.

Many companies sell bulk cocoa butter, or via wholesale. You will find it oftentimes by the block, ready to be shaved down and used on the skin or within your food products. When buying bulk, be sure to find something that is 100% pure and not mixed. Pure cocoa butter will have the best effects, just as it is important to find 100% shea butter. When shopping at your local beauty store, you will see many products that advertise it within their moisturizer. This is often used as a selling tool. You can usually find incredibly low-priced moisturizers with more butter than the expensive brands. Check the labels. I’d recommend finding it refined or unrefined and in bulk via a wholesale company. Cocoa butter has many other benefits not discussed here, so be sure to do more research if you are using it for edible purposes!

Baldness is the state where there is loss or absence of hair, especially on the head. The most common form of baldness is called androgenetic alopecia or male pattern baldness, which occurs in adult human males and is a progressive disease. The amount and pattern of baldness can vary greatly amongst people and the disease itself could lead to other forms of baldness such alopecia areata (complete loss of hair on the head) and alopecia totalis (total loss of all body hair).

The incidence of baldness varies from population to population and depends mainly on genetic factors, lifestyle and hormonal levels (androgenic hormones). A large-scale study in Maryborough, Australia, showed that the loss of hair in front part of the head affects approximately 73.5% of men and 57% of women (aged 80 or more). Approximately 25 percent of men begin to show the first symptoms of hair loss from the age of 20, while two-thirds of men begin to have such a condition from the age of 60.

Here are some of the herbs that help in controlling the hormones related to Hair loss.

Rosemary - One of the most widely used herbs in herbal shampoos, hair conditioners and creams, this herb can help in the treatment of dandruff, primary baldness, graying hair and thinning hair. This is also useful for the prevention of hair loss attributed to side effects caused by medicines.

Aloe vera – The gel from the leaves of Aloe vera improves scalp condition. Egyptian researchers have shown that aloe vera gel not only helps fight dandruff, but also helps to regenerate hair in people with seborrheic alopecia (seborrhea). This type of baldness is caused by the formation of scales on an oily scalp. Aloe vera also protects the scalp from the adverse effects of the sun and wind.

Centella asiatica – Centella is widely used in cosmetics for its regenerative properties and for combating hair loss.

Gingko biloba - Clinical studies have shown the efficacy of Ginkgo biloba in restoring the functioning of the circulatory system and improving blood flow – the two most important factors contributing to hair loss.

Saw Palmetto – In the United States, saw palmetto has been used for many years to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia. Many men using saw palmetto for the treatment of BPH have noticed that the herb promotes hair growth and also thickens hair strands. Recently it was found that Saw Palmetto may be helpful in treating hair loss by blocking the enzyme 5-alpha reductase, responsible for converting testosterone into DHT, thus possibly causing the follicles to resume their normal functioning. This reverses the hair loss process and promotes hair growth.