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I have always contended sugar is more dangerous than cigarettes and that it was far healthier to optimize one's diet before addressing nicotine addiction. Nevertheless, it obviously is wise to not smoke. But if one decides to stop smoking, the best route is to do it cold turkey, not by gradual reduction.
Despite all the reminders by their physicians and from various media campaigns, 52 percent of Europeans who have had a heart attack, bypass surgery or other serious heart scare were still smoking a year after their dramatic event. In fact, cessation efforts are failing many of the most vulnerable victims, experts said.
The research, conducted in the Netherlands, involved 5,551 people in 15 European countries who were admitted to the hospital with a heart attack or who underwent either open heart surgery to bypass clogged arteries or balloon angioplasty. About a year and a half later, they were interviewed about their smoking and given a carbon monoxide breath test to verify their answers.
About 40 percent of the patients were smoking before they had their heart scare. About 52 percent of those people continued to smoke after they had recovered.
Although there are no statistics robust enough for comparison with other regions, the American Heart Association says the situation among U.S. smokers isn't much different. Neither the government nor private insurance companies in the United States pay for drugs aimed at helping people quit smoking or smoking cessation programs, both of which help. All that is left is for the doctor to advise the patient to quit.
To help smokers successfully quit and maintain a healthy diet, my team and I use psychological acupressure techniques like the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). Check out my free manual to learn valuable EFT guidelines for healing yourself the natural way.
Yahoo News August 30, 2004