Smoking and Lyme Disease

Well, my opinion will be slightly controversial - because while of course, it will help your health and even possibly the rate at which you heal - the stress of quitting could be very hard on your body as well - since stress causes the immune system to lower.

Why not go to a "better" form of getting the part of the cigarette smoking that has you addicted and use either patches, gum or even the vaporizers ("Vaps", e-cigs)? At least you won't be inhaling all the chemicals that are used on tobacco.

There's no doubt that smoking is hard on a person's health, but sometimes we have to find a balance of the two. The stress of quitting has to be taken into consideration as well.

And no, even if you don't quit smoking, it doesn't defeat everything to heal the Lyme - it does make it harder in some ways though. You LLND just cares about your overall health as well.

JessicaMommy - what about reducing your intake? To me 8-10 seems like a lot to me. If you were to reduce to 7 a day for a few weeks, and then to 6. Maybe if your end result was 4 per day...at least that's half the amount of toxins you're ingesting?


Are you sure no one knows you smoke? For me (a nonsmoker) - I definitely would know if someone was smoking. Unless you are showereing, using mouth wash, changing your clothes 8-10 times a day...it's there.

Plus all 4 of my kiddos are home for summer break! AHH! I think it would be more ideal to at least wait until they are back in school all day and it is just me and my 2 1/2 year old.

Maybe cutting down for now, then in a few months time maybe after I've been on the herbals for awhile ..then quit.

I myself have smoked on and off my life. I would smoke for like 3-4 months and then quit again... I would only smoke a few like 2-5 a day when I did smoke.

I find smoking feels better the more addicted you are. When I start back up again I just made excuses and felt like blowing a cloud of smoke! lol, just a psychological thing for me.

But it's interesting when I quit... I've done it like 8 times in my life and wouldn't smoke again for like 2-3 years. When I was young like 15-20 is when like I quit the most.

In my experience quitting smoking... It's best just to say " I QUIT!" LoL. Cold turkey was always the way I quit. The first 3 days are the hardest. I would say the cravings peak on the 3rd day, but when you put off a craving, sometimes it just goes away. I just tell myself if I have a another cig then it just reinforces the addiction and prolongs the cravings you will get.

3 days seems to be the most difficult for people when quitting, after 72 hours all the nicotine in the body will be gone. That could be why. I just bite my lip and go through the cravings. Then I find for the days after the first 3, the cravings are already milder, but I find they peak again on the 7th day or one week after. After that you have much milder cravings in the second week, and even milder cravings in the 3rd week, then the cravings in the 4th week are pretty much negligible and after that there are no more cravings. Then that's it, no more cravings at all.

I think quitting is bad... But if you realize the cravings are only bad for the first 3 days it makes you realize it's not really that long. If you have 1 cigarette you are just prolonging it.

I think smoking is more of a psychological craving... Having that feeling and just calming the nerves, reducing anxiety, and the mild stimulant effect it has. I have to admit it does feel nice... If smoking wasn't unhealthy and didn't cause health issues... Well I'd probably keep smoking myself!

But think of it this way... It takes time to smoke, and the tar lasts for a long time in the lungs before it cleans out. But the cigarette only lasts for a few minutes. It's a mind set thing... and just the way you view the cigarette. Well it's a mind set thing for me anyways.

I also vaped, and I find vaping isn't as addictive as smoking is and easier to quit. But new research is coming out that vaping might not be completely harmless as some of the propylene glycol turns to acetaldehyde when it is heated. But on the plus side, there is no carbon monoxide or tar, or other byproducts of combustion. So you will feel it's not as hard on the lungs.

As for the nicotine gum... My Dad did that for like 5 years, and he said the gum is almost more addictive than smoking is! LOL.

So ya... The best way to quit though is just to cold turkey quit... And just keep in mind what I mentioned, it's just the first 3 days that are bad... Tell yourself in the long run I quit and am not going to be smoking, so might as well just quit now! If you quit before your 30... some say the damage done will mostly be repairable and in a few years time your lungs will be comparable to a non-smokers lungs. It's about changing the mindset.

Also... Nicotine withdrawals are uncomfortable... But never fatal, and not nearly as bad as quitting something like xanax or opiates. Many people have done it and are glad they do. No body dies from nicotine withdrawal.

Best way by far is cold turkey! Each additional cig you have reinforces the cravings... And remember just the first 3 days are bad. If you can make it through them you are mostly homefree. Then a week, then 2 weeks... After 2 weeks you are pretty much home free to not having any cravings.

Traveler always has the best most sensible advice. JessicaMommy, you hang in there, and good luck in cutting back, but be sure not to stress yourself too much, quitting smoking can be very hard. Obviously it would be ideal if you could taper, and eventually quit. But like Traveler said, be careful not to end up stressing your body too much trying to quit.

Lyme disease needs a multi-front approach, so I agree with your doctor on that. You have to tackle, diet, lifestyle, immune system, avoid toxins, etc. Smoking is one of those things, but I think it requires a nuanced approach as Traveler suggested. Like slowly weaning your way over to the e-cigs. That is a lesser evil with fewer toxins, and you still get your nicotine.

Oh, and please don't allow your doctor to make you feel guilty. They are giving good advice, but they are doing it in a way that places blame on you if you aren't able to execute the quitting smoking thing. Don't beat yourself up, whatever happens in your attempt to quit smoking. I'm sure you'll do your best, and hopefully end up with a strategy that works for you.

Post Edited (sebreg) : 7/26/2015 7:06:10 AM (GMT-6)