Does anyone here smoke?

[Paralee]

I've been fighting low cortisol to the point where it was scary, I just went and got an old nicotine gum and chewing half of it.....I'm afraid to "name the demons" but I think it's helping......I shouldn't have said that...knock three times on wood.
I found this also:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6818588/

 

[Prefect]

I've been fighting low cortisol to the point where it was scary, I just went and got an old nicotine gum and chewing half of it.....I'm afraid to "name the demons" but I think it's helping......I shouldn't have said that...knock three times on wood.

Well? How did it go? Was it a success? (ie didn't make you feel worse at least given our lot, lol)

 

[Paralee]

@Prefect, it does help a little bit, but that gum is like 15 yrs old or something like that. I've tried it a couple more times. Nicotene gum is different than regular gum. If you just keep chewing it you get sick. You're supposed to chew a few times and then "park it" in your cheek and them chew a few more times.

I don't remember a lot, but I might buy some fresh and see how that helps. It did do a little good, even being that old.

 

[South]

I can't take antihistamines as they make me really drowsy. As crazy as it sounds, even the non-drowsy ones cause me to sleep. It takes me a few days to recover from any of them.

@TigerLilea Have you read anything about acetylcholine? Even non-drowsy antihistamine products (if have the word "antihistamine" on the label") usually lower acetylcholine, and in some people, this deficiency in acetylcholine can be a reason they lose energy.

Sorry I'm not more eloquent about this, but could be worth reading about. There are supplements that raise acetylcholine (like Acetyl-L-Carnitine, and huperzine).

For the smokers on this thread, nicotine seems to affect acetylcholine receptors - might be worth looking up online.

 

[stridor]

I used nicotine patches @ 21 mg for 11 mths in 2011 when I was at my sickest. It wasn't a miracle drug but it made the difference between being on the couch and being able to sit at a computer and try to find answers through all the brain-fog....I might have drooled a bit.

They definitely made a difference though and putting nicotine into the venous system meant that I did not get the concentration peaks that lead to addiction. I did a 3 day wean in the end without problems.

Animal studies have shown that nicotine is neuroprotective against glutamate damage and this might be why schizophrenics smoke at a 85+%.

 

[IreneF]

I've read (can't find the article to link) that it is not the tobacco but the way it is cultivated makes it harmful. The pesticide used by the multinational tobacco growers causes the cancer and the shelf life additive is arsenic causes the heart problems. They also spike it with another very harmful chemical which gives the instant buzz is highly toxic. Marketing search proved without this buzz it is difficult to sell tobacco products. Apparently tobacco plant is very difficult to grow at home, and maybe ordinary people are not allowed by law? Who knows. Might worth a try, natives smoked tobacco with no apparent health consequences.

That is untrue. It's the smoke inhalation that causes disease, although the additives used in cigarettes make the drug delivery more effective.

Smoking really took off with the invention of a machine that rolled cigarettes, allowing them to be sold cheaply.

We don't have good info about the health consequences of smoking among native peoples, although it was primarily a ceremonial activity, AFAIK. They didn't have pack-a-day habits.

If you are a smoker don't delude yourself about the consequences.

Nicotine delivery by other methods is different. You're not getting all that gunk in your lungs.