Stop Smoking: 10 Steps to Freedom

- By S. D. Wells - Saturday, March 15, 2014

If the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) really cared about helping people, they would tell you how to stop smoking, because certainly there are about 40 million people who would love to know. Quitting smoking is physiological and psychological, so scary advertisements and medications that make you crazy aren't going to cut it. Patches that release more addictive drugs only work for about 4% of those who try them. The scary ads of people with holes in their throats have about the same results, yet even half of those "success stories" return to smoking within six months, so slice that statistic in half. Hypnosis is mainly just a "psych-out" method to get you to convince yourself that you don't need to puff, but most people want and need more help than that. Nicotine is one of the most powerful addictions known to mankind, but it's actually broken in three to four days; the rest is about behavior modification and nutrition.

Before we delve into the 10 steps, realize this: There are only two types of people in this world, really - the kind who empower you or the kind who try to control you. Are you being controlled? Take the power back. Follow these 10 steps and stop smoking for good. Then you will look back at this day and remember "that was the day you turned the tables."

Read these 10 steps with an open mind and a readiness for personal empowerment. Today is the first day of the rest of your life as a non-smoker.

The Top 10 Steps for Quitting Cigarettes Naturally

* 1. Buy organic tobacco and roll your own. This is how you will wean yourself off the juiced-up nicotine found in commercial cigarettes. Most tobacco and smoke shops carry organic tobacco - just ask, or check it out online! Natural tobacco is an herb.

* 2. Know exactly what your body needs daily to kill the cravings of nicotine. There are certain foods, beverages and herbs that will replenish your body's nutrient base that the 4,000 chemicals you have been smoking every day have depleted, or destroyed. You need good gut bacteria/flora and you need organic fuel to keep from feeling stressed.

* 3. Get the straight talk on central nervous system deficiencies and how to feel "normal" and "relaxed or excited" without nicotine.

* 4. Find out how and why the nicotine potency you are getting is 35 times stronger than you think.

* 5. Understand the term "cigarette hangover" and learn why it's the chemicals in cigarettes more than the nicotine that is what fueling the habit from which you will begin escaping today.

* 6. Get knowledge of proper nutrients, antioxidants, herbs and supplements recommended by highly regarded professionals who understand the process of quitting smoking.

* 7. Understand how breathing patterns changed when you became a smoker, and how you can get back to having healthy lungs and a healthy heart.

* 8. Cancer thrives in an acidic body where the cells are deprived of oxygen and nutrients. Learn how to return your system to a safe alkalinity and keep it that way daily, so you and your cells can "breathe" and have a great life without cigarettes.

* 9. Learn about natural cures for both diet soda addiction and cigarette addiction. They are called superfoods, and this has been studied in great depth and detail.

* 10. Avoid GMOs like the plague. Find out how genetically modified tobacco, food, drinks and even (GMO) medicine can damage your digestion, your breathing, your central nervous system and your critical thinking. Millions of people who succeed at quitting addictions return to them only because they pollute their bodies with other toxins and relapse. Genetically modified organisms can change your DNA during THIS lifetime. Avoid GMOs foods at all costs and keep your machine (your body) firing on all cylinders at all times and you can find your ideal health, starting right now.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.livingfuel.tv

http://www.zenantidiet.com

http://www.cancerresearchuk.org

http://www.naturalnews.com

http://premium.naturalnews.tv

http://www.naturalnews.com

http://science.naturalnews.com

Inspirations Supper Foods: - By David Wolfe on Energy, Health and Longevity

Why Dr. Oz was right to warn consumers about lead in Shakeology Greenberry protein powder

- By Mike Adams - March 03, 2014 - The Health Ranger Editor of NaturalNews.com

The health industry is suddenly buzzing with more findings about heavy metals in protein products, and Dr. Oz is beginning to warn viewers about lead in some products. This is on top of Natural News finding substantial concentrations of the heavy metal tungsten in organic vegan rice protein products sold across the USA. (See chart here.)

The Dr. Oz warning came about two weeks ago when his show featured research results from Consumer Lab, a highly-experienced food science research organization which has tested foods and supplements for many years. The Consumer Lab protein study, described here, tested 16 popular brands of protein products for label accuracy and heavy metals.

Ted Cooperman explained to Dr. Oz that the Shakeology Greenberry product contained 12.7 micrograms of lead per serving. I'm not sure what the serving size is for Shakeology Greenberry, but if it's around 20 grams -- a typical serving size for proteins -- this would mean the concentration of lead in the product is around .635 ppm. Given that my own laboratory testing has also found lead levels in rice protein products at over .500 ppm, this number seems well within the realm of reason.

As an important disclaimer, I have not yet tested Shakeology in the Natural News Forensic Food Lab, but I have no doubt that Consumer Lab's numbers are very accurate. It's also worth noting that the maker of Shakeology, a company named Beachbody, did not refute the findings. Instead, they argued that Consumer Lab "may be actually misleading consumers by not distinguishing between harmful heavy metals and those that are naturally occurring in plants, vegetables and minerals." (Click here to read their statement on DoctorOz.com)

Why Beachbody is full of bunk and Dr. Oz is correct

In my view, this statement shows that Beachbody is full of bunk. This false argument that all heavy metals are "naturally occurring" is the same nonsense a few companies tried to pull on me when I released laboratory results showing significant concentrations of lead, cadmium and tungsten in vegan protein products.

My video, available here, clearly answers the denialists who irrationally insist all heavy metals are "naturally occurring."

In truth, elevated heavy metals levels in foods occur due to industrial contamination of farms and waterways. The Beachbody response to this scientific truth is less than inspiring. The company says, "Most of the fruits, vegetables and herbs we consume every day, even when organically grown and picked right out of the ground, also contain various levels of naturally occurring lead."

By this, they are trying to imply that all lead is therefore harmless and that contamination doesn't matter. Poppycock! Lead levels really do matter, and the more you eat, the higher your risk of organ poisoning and brain damage. Beachbody is essentially trying to deny that lead arsenate was used as an agricultural insecticide for over a century, where it heavily contaminated agricultural lands with both lead and arsenic. Spraying lead and arsenic on a farm does not magically make it "naturally occurring."

The Beachbody company goes on to say, "Beachbody never adds any heavy metals to any of its products and that we strictly follow good manufacturing practices..." This statement is rather bizarre and seems wildly out of touch with nutritional science. Of course they don't add heavy metals to their products, unless they want to sell something that says, "Fortified with LEAD!" on the label.

And the claim that they follow "good manufacturing practices" (also known as GMP) is meaningless in the context of heavy metals. GMP doesn't require any removal of heavy metals and it sets no limits for heavy metals. A company can be 100% GMP-compliant, certified USDA organic and even certified 100% non-GMO and still be selling a product loaded with very high levels of toxic heavy metals. In fact, if you want to see a bunch of organic seaweed products that contain substantial levels of all sorts of heavy metals, just check out these results at the Forensic Food Lab.

In my view, Beachbody is wrong on this issue, and Dr. Oz and Consumer Lab are clearly in the right. Although Natural News has had mixed reviews of Dr. Oz on some issues in the past, I have to give him credit for tackling this heavy metals issue head on and featuring the lab results of Consumer Labs. (I only hope they will now look at tungsten in rice protein, because I've found it at over 10,000 ppb. If anybody from Consumer Lab is reading this, that number will shock you but it's true and triple-verified at three different labs.)

Most protein manufacturers have been very responsible and ethical in responding to these concerns

Fortunately, most companies I've dealt with in the protein market have not followed the "denial" strategy found in the Beachbody response letter. Instead, they have responded to Natural News in a positive, professional manner while agreeing to meet our voluntary heavy metals limits. Natural News has now reached agreements with all the top protein manufacturers representing well over 95% of the U.S. rice protein market, and to my knowledge, this is history in the making as such an agreement has never before been achieved in the natural products industry.

The companies which have already told us they will meet or beat our voluntary heavy metals limits include:

- Garden of Life
- Vega
- SunWarrior
- Boku Superfood
- Living Fuel
- Nutribiotic
- Healthforce

Companies which we have not yet heard from about whether they will meet our heavy metals limits include, to the best of our knowledge:

- Jarrow Formulas
- Perfect Fit (from the "Tone It Up" girls)

One company, the maker of Nutribody protein, told me they already meet our heavy metals limits, but when I tested their product, the lot number I tested actually exceeded the limit for lead, clocking in at .316 ppm, a number that's about average for the rice-based protein products I've tested so far. I hope to hear they will re-test their production lots and commit to meeting the .25 ppm lead limit very soon. I've also acquired Perfect Fit protein and plan to have it tested soon in order to find out whether the "Tone It Up" girls are selling products which are really as clean as their image seems to imply.

In summary, I applaud Dr. Oz and Consumer Lab for revealing heavy metals in protein products, and I think this is just the tip of the iceberg on this subject. This issue is exploding in the minds of consumers, and everybody wants to know if the products they are buying and consuming are really clean.

My answer to that question? No, they aren't. A long list of USDA certified organic products -- especially those grown in China -- are in fact heavily contaminated with lead, cadmium, mercury and tungsten. Keep checking Natural News for more revelations and detailed lab results.

How chronic stress rewires your brain and creates mood disorders

- By Mike Bundrant - February 28, 2014

The medical is big on theorizing about your chemicals and adding more into the mix. Traditionally trained doctors, however, give little thought into what causes deficiencies in the first place, especially when those causes are psychological.

This is why research into the effects of chronic stress is so important. The effects of psychological stress move beyond the mental, right into your brain chemistry. The following study demonstrates specifically how this happens.

Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley found that those who suffer from chronic stress experience long-term changes in their brain that makes them susceptible to mood disorders and high anxiety.

Associate professor of integrative biology Daniela Kaufer and a team of researchers have studied the hippocampus, which is the area of the brain that governs emotion and memory. They found that chronic stress causes the brain to generate fewer neurons and more myelin-producing cells than normal. This results in more white matter in certain areas of the brain, disrupting the balance and timing of communication within the brain.

The study was published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

Kaufer believes that it may be possible that prolonged stress may develop a stronger connection between the hippocampus and the area of the brain responsible for a person's fight or flight response, while weakening the hippocampus' connection with the prefrontal cortex, which moderates those responses.

This would result in quicker fear responses, as well as a reduced ability to shut down those responses. Kaufer is currently involved in a study to test this hypothesis.

Kaufer's lab also discovered that chronic stress affects the development of stem cells located in the hippocampus. Ordinarily, these cells are believed to only develop into a type of glial cell known as an astrocyte. Under the effects of chronic stress, however, these cells matured into a different type of glial cell called an oligodendrocyte, which produces myelin.

These cells also help form synapses. Kaufer believes that because fewer neurons are formed under chronic stress, this could explain why it has such an effect on memory and learning. She is now conducting experiments to see if early-life stress reduces a person's resilience later in their life.

Five ways we heap stress upon ourselves

Chronic, negative stress can be eliminated, however, we tend to cling to it in various ways. Here are five of them.

1. Refusing to exercise

Physical exercise is among the most effective ways to reduce stress. And it may be essential. You'd be hard-pressed to find any health authority, conventional or alternative, who doesn't promote regular exercise to reduce stress and balance the mind and body.

Yet, we are a nation of couch potatoes. The Center for Disease Control estimates that 80% of Americans do not get the recommended amount of physical exercise.

2. Neglecting to treat PTSD

Chronic stress that comes from unresolved physical, sexual and emotional trauma can be devastating. Fortunately, it is one of the most treatable mental health issues. Therapeutic use of modalities such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) and cognitive behavioral approaches have a very high success rate in eliminating the flashbacks, anxiety, nightmares and chronic restimulation of past trauma.

It's understandable that some people fear the treatment, but also very unfortunate that more people don't take advantage of these options. If you have emotional trauma in your past, isn't it time to deal with it and let go? You absolutely can, with help.

3. Catastrophic over-commitment to busy-ness

To say that people keep themselves busy these days is an understatement. In fact, being busier than you can handle is almost a status symbol. If you can say, "Oh I am so busy that I can barely think straight" it must mean that you are not a loser.

When you can't say no to work, family and community opportunities, you tend to over do it and live with more on your plate that you can possibly accomplish. This adds up to stress.

4. Horrific nutrition

The standard Western diet is full of sugar, artificial chemicals, caffeine, gluten, candida-promoting foods, alcohol, bad fats and empty calories that make it impossible for your body to balance itself. When your standard fare is junk, you will end up mentally and emotionally depleted and more stressed than you would be otherwise.

Water is an essential part of nutrition as well. And most people don't get enough. The Panhandle Health District suggests that 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated and that lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

5. Psychological attachments and self-sabotage

This is the granddaddy of them all, in my opinion. Self-sabotage will compel you to say yes when you mean no, eat and drink junk that makes you feel bad, stay up late when you need to get up early, waste time, work too much and hang around people who tend to control, reject or deprive you.

Self-sabotage draws you toward the negativity in life as if you belonged there. Amazingly, self-sabotage usually feels passive. In other words, it happens on autopilot, as if it were happening to you and not a product of your own decisions (until you understand how it works).
Chronic stress is the inevitable result.

It's possible to live a simple, calm life that is relatively free of chronic, negative stress. Lack of exercise, PTSD, over-committing, bad nutrition and self-sabotage will prevent this from happening. From the results of the above study, it is apparently causing brain damage.

To learn how self-sabotage works and how to stop it, watch this free video.

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About the author:
Watch the free video The AHA! Process: An End to Self-Sabotage and discover the lost keys to personal transformation and emotional well-being that have been suppressed by mainstream mental health for decades.

The information in this video has been called the missing link in mental health and personal development. In a world full of shallow, quick-fix techniques, second rate psychology and pharmaceutical takeovers, real solutions have become nearly impossible to find. Click here to watch the presentation that will turn your world upside down.

Mike Bundrant is co-founder of the iNLP Center and host of Mental Health Exposed, a Natural News Radio program.