We all now how deadly smoking is. In fact, every year, more than 480,000 people die in the United States (U.S.) due to tobacco-related diseases. That is around 1 in 5 of all deaths in the U.S. annually. It is estimated that 1 in 2 smokers will die from a smoking-related disease.
Smoking causes more deaths in the U.S. each year than the following combined:
- alcohol use
- firearm-related incidents
- HIV
- illegal drug use
- motor vehicle incidents
Smoking is one of the hardest habits to break. And, there are several popular methods to quit smoking; patches, gums, hypnosis, and simply will power. Many of these can work but mot times are not very successful. If you are someone you know is looking to quit, this article from Wake Up World, gives 8 different natural ways you can try to quit smoking:
“Lime Juice and 8 Other Natural Ways to Quit Smoking
By Sayer Ji
Contributing Writer for Wake Up World
Compelling reasons to stop smoking far outnumber effective ways to do so. Even with recent revelations that tobacco is contaminated with the highly carcinogenic radioisotope polonium-210, the addictive hold it maintains on millions of smokers worldwide who already know it causes premature death and cancer is far more powerful than the desire for self-preservation, it would seem.
This is why effective, natural interventions for smoking cessation are so needed today and why we are excited to report on a new study involving a solution that can be found not at your local pharmacy, but at your local grocer’s fruit stand.
In a new study published in the Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand titled, “Efficacy of fresh lime for smoking cessation,”[i] researchers from the Department of Medicine, Srinakharinwirot University, Thailand tested the effectiveness of fresh lime as a smoking cessation aid compared with nicotine gum.
100 regular smokers aged 18 or older who were willing to quit were entered into a six-month long randomized, controlled trial, receiving either fresh lime (47) or nicotine gum (53) over the course of the study. Smoking reduction was confirmed through measuring exhaled carbon monoxide (CO), with measurements at weeks 9-12 being the primary outcome. Severity of craving was also measured using a visual analogue scale.
The results of the trial showed that there was no significant difference in abstinence rates between the groups during weeks 9-12, although they did observe that “7-day point prevalence abstinence at week 4 of the fresh lime users was statistically significant lower than those using nicotine gum (38.3% vs. 58.5%; p = 0.04). They also found fresh lime users tended to report more intense cravings than the nicotine gum group, but the number of cravings were found not to differ significantly between the groups.
The report concluded, “Fresh lime can be used effectively as a smoking cessation aid, although not as good as nicotine gum in reducing cravings.”‘
There are also a number of side benefits to consuming limes you may not know about. You can read about that and these 8 or methods to try to quit smoking by finishing the post over on the website at Wake Up World
Image courtesy of: Digital Davo