________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Diet during this time of transition it is very important to supply your system with the proper vitamins and minerals in order to help your system flush out the chemicals, repair and boost your immune system, and restore your body and mind to perfect balance.

Nutrition and Exercise during the first three weeks:
*3000 mg per day vitamin C
*B-complex multi-vitamin 2 times per day
*Calcium supplement once per day.  (nicotine actually depletes the bones of calcium. It is very important to restore this balance)
*Brush teeth with baking soda to neutralize mouth ph.
*Drink at least 8 glasses of water.
*Drink  2-4 cups of Green Tea to help flush and boost immune system and to increase metabolism. (You should replace any coffee with Green Tea)
*Protein at each meal and for snacks (nuts are a great source for a snack time)  
*Eat fresh veggies and fruits frequently to keep your blood sugar stable.
*Make sure you get 8 hours of restorative sleep. Your body is mending.
*Exercise every day for 15 minutes or longer.

*LIMIT: CAFFEINE, SUGAR, and ALCOHOL during this time.

Media/Research

NEW YORK - Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of smokers are not concerned about developing Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), America's fourth ranking cause of death even though more than half of them (55 percent) experience at least one of the symptoms of COPD a minimum of once a week.  This is according to a national independent survey conducted on behalf of the American Lung Association and ALTANA Pharma US. "The survey results are alarming.  A majority of smokers who could have COPD are ignoring the signs," said Dr. Norman Edelman, medical consultant for the American Lung Association and vice president for Health Sciences and professor of medicine at SUNY Stony Brook University. "As the most common cause of COPD, smoking is responsible for 80 to 90 percent of all COPD deaths.  COPD claims the lives of more than 120,000 Americans annually.  Smokers and their friends and family need to recognize and address this problem."

COPD is a term referring to a large group of lung diseases characterized by obstruction to airflow that interferes with normal breathing.  Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are the most important conditions that compose COPD and they may co-exist, hence physicians prefer the term COPD.  Primary symptoms of COPD include chronic cough, shortness of breath, a greater effort to breathe, increased mucus production, and frequent clearing of the throat. _It is estimated that COPD will be the third largest cause of death worldwide by 2020. "Despite the fact that COPD deaths have increased in the United States over the past three decades, more than half (51 percent) of smokers are unaware of the disease," Dr. Edelman said._Additionally Dr. Edelman points to recent data indicating that for the third consecutive year, the number of deaths due to COPD was higher among women than men. "In 2002 61,422 females died compared to 59,133 males" Dr. Edelman said. "The number one way to slow the progression of this disease is to stop smoking."

To read this article in its entirety please visit http://www.lungusa.org

For more information on STOP SMOKING and to download a FREE BROCHURE go to http://www.smokefree.gov