Nicotine

Good job Bellyful, keep it up.
I must admit I am a smoker and I hate it...have smoked for 20 years...did I say I hate it!
Quit during my pregnancies only to start again, quite for months a few other times.
This is an interested thread because I have look for info on this matter when trying to figure out what was going on with me. Seems like if I smoke early after waking it makes everything worse, I would suspect CNS issues but doesn't seek to be bad but help later in the day.
I know it is not good for me at all, but it seems to have been helpful during this time of uncertainty of not knowing what was wrong with me.
I truly want to quite and I believe it would be greatly beneficial.
I have used those Nicorette mini lozenges in the past and they seem to help with the addiction and the brain fog at times.

Trav - your success in quitting was after you were cured of Lymes or before? Congrats!

Iheartx

That would be great on the info Bellyful. I would appreciate it.

Iheartx

Well Alrighty then... here we go :)

In my opinion vape cigs are much better than e-cigs.

This is a simple starter kit... The Revolver batteries are variable voltage batteries that allow you to adjust the battery voltage from 3.3V to 4.8V by twisting the end cap.
*All Revolver battery sizes are compatible with all EGO style/510 products.
*Compatible is important... *I highly recommend getting an extra battery...so that one is always charging... no waiting!
*Also... it is much easier if you use a syringe when filling.

~This was my process... i devoted the weekend to my transition to vaping.... I enjoyed my last reg cig on Friday night... I made sure that my vape cig was fully charged and ready to go in the morning... I did not limit myself at all... i use the vape cig excessively for the weekend... to the point of feeling a bit headachey...so that i would not be tempted to go back to reg cig. ~ya know how ya feel when you first start smoking... kinda like that.

By Monday i was "transitioned" to vaping... and i had slowed down the amount that i was smoking.

shop.nhaler.com/The-Revolver-EGO-Manual-Kit-revolverego.htm?productId=397

This is a Marlboro type flavor...there is a Newport type...and several others...depending on your preference.
shop.nhaler.com/NHale-XHale-High-Voltage-USA-Mix-usamix.htm

I originally bought a kit at a local shop called "VAPE VIBE" they have some tips on Youtube that are very helpful.
*And... she talks about vaping essential oils ...
/www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDjtnn0FDU4

You might have a Vape shop in your area?

julymorning, I can't directly answer your question as I don't know any smokers with Lyme. But I really, really doubt a tobacco habit could help in any way. Smoking is stressful for your body, it's an unnecessary, additional burden (just like heavy metals or toxins) the body needs to deal with. It spends its precious resources on trying to flush these toxic substances out so there might be little left for battling Lyme itself. I'm no expert and it probably depends on many factors, just like there are lifetime smokers who live healthy until they die of old age, but I really think that treating Lyme while smoking is equal to wasting one's energy, time and money.

As to nicotine helping with brain function - well, no wonder one can feel better after absorbing (in any way) nicotine - it's a psychoactive drug. I bet I would feel just great after snorting some cocaine or injecting myself with heroin :) but of course I won't do that. It's not only a matter of what helps us feel better, but also what is actually good for our bodies in the long run. Some substances can alter our brain function in a good, pleasurable way, but it doesn't mean using them is worth it.

Traveler said...
We aren't talking about heroine addiction or cocaine addiction here, and while smoking is not healthy, it's still not the same thing.

Of course we aren't, I'm definitely not saying it's the same thing. I'm just trying to say that it's not surprising that nicotine - a psychoactive substance - alters our mood and can make us feel better. Narcotics are obviously not the same, but they are also psychoactive substances. I deliberately overemphasized that.

Traveler, you didn't upset me by any means. I also didn't intend to compare smokers to drug addicts and I hope I didn't make anyone feel offended.

Yup, I feel for you guys! Fortunately we don't have Thanksgiving where I live, lol. But Christmas is not an easy time for me either, plus it's my boyfriend's birthday right after Christmas and mine is at the very beginning of January. It's so depressing to have to stay away from all the yummy food and birthday cakes!!!

Traveler said...
The thing is, quitting is even more stressful on the body - so while I agree that smoking is not healthy, we come to treatments "as we are". If the person finds that the stress of quitting smoking is too much for them, they would be much better off waiting until they were farther along in treatments, where their body and mind are stronger to quit. We aren't talking about heroine addiction or cocaine addiction here, and while smoking is not healthy, it's still not the same thing.

This has been my theory all along! I am a smoker but I have cut down tremendously since diagnosis. I just know what I've gone through in the past when trying to quit; no way could I handle that right now on top of everything else. I smoke about half as much as I used to and there are days when I don't smoke at all. It is getting easier and easier to quit, though, as I think I react poorly to it now.

Nicotine and cigarettes are totally different things. Nicotine as a stand alone compound is not really harmful. In fact there's cognitive benefits to Nicotine, similar to how caffeine can have cognitive benefits.

Cigarettes are extremely harmful because of the tobacco, tar, and countless list of carcinogens in the cigarettes. Not because of the stand alone compound of Nicotine.