HEALTH Stopping smoking – for good

Stopping smoking and staying stopped


Ask the pharmacist
James Geraghty

You probably won’t be surprised to learn that smoking is the single biggest cause of preventable death in Ireland, with around 7,000 people dying prematurely each year because of a smoking-related illness. Breaking free of the habit is not easy and sometimes willpower alone is not enough. Fortunately help is at hand.
Correct nutrition is a good place to start. Fresh fruits and vegetables provide us with many essential vitamins and minerals, as well as vitally important antioxidants. Antioxidants can protect against free radical damage (caused by smoking) and are found in the highest concentrations in dark and brightly coloured fruit and veg, sweet potato, beetroot and cooked tomatoes for example. They are also found in wholegrains, such as buckwheat; spices, such as turmeric and green tea.
Brightly coloured fruit and veg are also a good source of vitamin C, but this important nutrient is usually greatly reduced in smokers, so a daily vitamin C supplement is also recommended.
Look after your adrenals! Stopping smoking can be very stressful and places extra strain on our main anti-stress organs, our adrenal glands. The herb Rhodiola rosea and the B-complex vitamins (especially vitamin B5) offer excellent adrenal support.
Oats are also a great nerve tonic and can help considerably to reduce addiction, making porridge a good start to the day. Eating small but regular meals should help to keep blood sugar under control. If food cravings are a problem, chromium and glutamine supplements can help.
For nicotine cravings and the symptoms of addiction there’s the amino acid N-acetylcysteine (NAC). NAC has proven helpful in various forms of addiction including, nicotine, alcoholism, sugar cravings and gambling. It is thought to work by stimulating the brain chemicals that mediate reward-seeking behaviour and cravings.
Try NAC+ capsules from Viridian Nutrition. The combination of NAC with chromium, cinnamon and glutamine offer what I call ‘willpower in a capsule’.
Finally, regular exercise stimulates the release of brain chemicals that help to curb nicotine cravings, so try some form of brisk exercise for at least 20 minutes a day.
Remember, stopping smoking isn’t easy. If at first you don’t succeed, try again. The important thing is to never give up giving up.