How to Detox Lungs After Quitting Smoking?

It is well known that smoking is harmful to humans. Cigarettes are made of not just tobacco, but of a lot of additives. Those ingredients can be listed depending on the brand and the special commercial characteristics of each cigar.

Yes! Each cigarette is made up of more than just tobacco. Between 0.6% to 3% of the dry weight of tobacco is Nicotine. Nicotine is a very addictive substance. What makes it addictive is its stimulant and relaxant properties in mammals; it is a cause of drug-reinforced behavior, psychological effects, physical dependence, and tolerance.  Children born to mothers that smoked have shown different health problems during their lives, such as type 2 diabetes, respiratory dysfunction, neuro-behavioral defects, hypertension, obesity, and infertility.

TIP: Download the complete guide to detox.

Cigarette smoke is made up of more than 4000 chemicals, some of these substances cause cancer; other can cause lung disease, heart disease, neurological problems, anemia, and other illness or problems. Acetaldehyde, acetone, acrolein, acrylonitrile, ammonia, arsenic, benzene, cadmium, chromium, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide, isoprene, lead, nicotine, nitric oxide, phenol, toluene, tar, and uranium are some of the chemicals found in cigarette smoke. Even when different studies show that Nicotine is not a carcinogen component of the cigarette, other researchers continue trying to prove the relationship between cancer and Nicotine. Nevertheless, more than 70 ingredients of the cigar have been linked scientifically with cancer already; and not only with lung cancer but leukemia, skin cancer, bladder cancer, and others.

The Carbon Monoxide (CO), an odorless and colorless gas, takes the smell from other gases or products during the combustion. It accumulates indoor or in poor ventilated areas.  Once breathed, the CO goes to the lungs, where it is absorbed into the blood. There, it displaces oxygen and lower oxygen levels in vital organs like brain and heart. Depending on the amount of CO and the time of exposure, organs start to fail, and the symptoms coming from the damage to the lungs will appear. Exposition to carbon monoxide is not limited to smokers; somebody that breathes CO daily from cigarette smoke could have 5 to 40 times more exposure to carbon monoxide than a non-exposed.

Quitting Smoking and Detox

When somebody decides to quit smoking, it is a good decision, but not an easy one. The changes you will experience when you choose to stop smoking will be so helpful that are going to help you get a healthier life, and not just healthier lungs.

If you are thinking about stop smoking and want to clean your lungs and your body, here you have some ideas on how to start?

The first step is to make the big decision. To stop smoking, you should start by deciding it yourself and having enough reasons. Nobody else can decide for you. It could be positive if you make a list of the reasons. Why are you not going to smoke again? Health problems? Tired of the smell drenched on your body and clothes? Lack of taste for the foods you enjoyed before? Babies at home or planning to have them? Partner or spouse tired of your smell? Smoke-related expenses? Write your opinion, pros and cons, of smoking and stop smoking. You will need to read them if someday you will feel tempted to smoke again.

Choose a day to start. Taking one step at the time is essential.

The day is here! Get rid of all the cigars that you own, and start the journey for a detoxification of a lot of chemicals that have been causing problems in your body. Start some changes or steps:

1. Air
   It is time to change the air you breath; stop exposing your lungs to harmful chemicals. Stay away from smoke and apart from people smoking. Clean the rooms or areas where you usually smoked; if it is possible, open windows to make the fresh outdoor oxygen air to come in. Use indoor plants; they take the carbon monoxide in the rooms and will provide you with oxygen. Air purifiers with HEPA filters can be helpful. Clean shelves, tables, floors, and rugs periodically to eliminate dust and dirt. Avoid using ammonia cleaners and other strong odor chemicals.
    
2. Hydration
   It is important to get hydrated. Drink 8 glasses of water during the day. It will help you to flush through the kidneys a lot of chemicals that are circulating in your blood and will help to fluidify the mucus existing in your lungs because of the smoking.
    
3. Nutrition
   A healthy diet, with natural and green foods, will help you to purify your lungs and your body. Natural honey (non-sweetened), one tablespoon each morning, with some drops of olive oil, will help you to fluidify and expel the accumulated mucus in your lungs. Avoid fast or processed foods. Instead, Include fruits such as apples, bananas, lemons, berries, oranges, watermelons, blueberries, cranberries, grapes, blackberries. Good vegetables for detox will be root vegetables, leafy greens, artichokes, spinach, broccoli, and sweet potatoes. Other helpful foods are pecans, walnuts, chestnuts, almonds, fish, and green tea. Add chlorophyll to your diet; you can find it as supplements or in some foods like spirulina, blue-green micro-algae, juiced wheatgrass, sprouted seed.
    
4. Exercise
   Having a routine of physical activity, helps your lungs to expand and take more oxygen from the environment. During exercise you sweat, through the sweat you eliminate toxins as well. Exercise outdoor, in smoke-free areas or a forest, is a plus. Walking, jogging, and swimming are good exercises for your lungs. Other exercises good for lungs are Yoga, Tai-shi, and Qui-Gong; you will learn to breathe efficiently and relaxation techniques needed during the quitting process.

Keep active, body and mind: Look for activities that you enjoy and keep you away from anxiety or mood swings that could make you smoke again. Reading, music, arts and craft, movies, painting, writing, and others will help. It is good to find somebody or some group to be related to; someone who can give you support, and who will enjoy the same hobbies as you.

Don’t forget this decision is not an easy one, but it is a turn towards a better version of yourself. Don’t quit. You will embark a challenging ride full of ups and downs, but eventually, things will settle after realizing stop smoking was the best thing you could have done.

References:

1. DiClemente, C. C., Prochaska, J. O., Fairhurst, S. K., Velicer, W. F., Velasquez, M. M., & Rossi, J. S. (1991). The process of smoking cessation: an analysis of precontemplation, contemplation, and preparation stages of change. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 59(2), 295.
    
2. West, R., McNeill, A., & Raw, M. (2000). Smoking cessation guidelines for health professionals: an update. Thorax, 55(12), 987-999.