Smoking — Not all smoking is the same. Did you know that according to the American Lung Association there are approximately 600 ingredients in cigarettes? When burned, cigarettes create more than 7,000 chemicals. At least 69 of these chemicals are known to cause cancer, and many are toxic.
Many of these chemicals also are found in consumer products, but these products have warning labels—such as rat poison packaging. While the public is warned about the danger of the poisons in these products, there is no such warning for the toxins in tobacco smoke.
Here are a few of the chemicals in tobacco smoke and other places they are found:
- Acetone—found in nail polish remover
- Acetic acid—an ingredient in hair dye
- Ammonia—a common household cleaner
- Arsenic—used in rat poison
- Benzene—found in rubber cement and gasoline
- Butane—used in lighter fluid
- Cadmium—active component in battery acid
- Carbon monoxide—released in car exhaust fumes
- Formaldehyde—embalming fluid
- Hexamine—found in barbecue lighter fluid
- Lead—used in batteries
- Naphthalene—an ingredient in mothballs
- Methanol—a main component in rocket fuel
- Nicotine—used as an insecticide
- Tar—material for paving roads
- Toluene—used to manufacture paint
In 1993, US hospitals became smoke-free. At that time there were 4000 chemicals in cigarette smoke.
I was working at a city hospital and there was much concern how this would affect the psychiatric population for whom cigarette time was part of their day. I was asked to train staff and help inpatients on the psychiatric wards cope with this potentially volatile change. I learned a lot about using hypnosis and guided meditation with this population and it deepened my understanding of certain types of qigong and mental health.
In a time where our lung health is so important, you would think more would be done about a well researched and documented health crisis.
(Not to mention that cigarettes are costly and
Personally I don’t like wearing a mask but I also don’t like breathing in 7000 chemicals and everything else that comes with second hand smoke.
The longer you smoke the more associations are tied to it. Smoking after a meal, after sex, to take a break, to relieve stress…
My grandfather, who smoked for 40 years before I was born, was told by his doctor to quit smoking. The next day he never smoked again and lived well for another 50 plus years. My mom on the other hand smoked for 40 years until metastatic stage 4 lung cancer took her life at age 56.
Like any addiction, it requires not only interest and a desire to quit but the motivation to take whatever steps work for you.
Also like anything else, there is no one treatment that fits all.
Anyway, as we approach the holidays I hope some of you may be ready to quit not only for yourself but for your loved ones, all those around you and even the planet. Sometimes the initial motivation may come from outside ourselves. Knowing we are all truly one is a reminder that every thought and action affects all of us. Sometimes this is more obvious and sometimes it is beyond our understanding.
After 30 plus years I somehow continue to be passionate in helping people connect to their hearts and find their own path to healing and transformation. I have accrued many tools to choose from whether in person or by phone. If you are ready to make a positive change in your life and in the world, reach out to me and let us see what we can do.
𝐈𝐟 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝟓% 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐦𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐰𝐨. 𝐖𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞.
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝. 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭.
Email: william@acudragon.us
Peace,
William
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