DON’T be mistaken. Quitting can be a good thing.

All our life we have been taught to never give up, and always surge forward. The lesson was simple: Quitters never succeed. While this may hold true for most aspects of living, in the realm of wellness, quitting can be a good thing. To master this art, consider the following:

Body

We cannot live without a strong, healthy body. So let’s begin with the physical.

Family history: Find out your inherited strengths and weaknesses. List down the illnesses your grandparents and parents suffered from. Note also their lifestyles. Information is a key factor in mapping out your health strategy. For example, both your parents are heavy smokers and both have either emphysema or lung cancer. With this information, use your common sense. You should read up on these conditions.

Emphysema is one of the most debilitating diseases on the planet. According to the American Lung Association, smoking is responsible for 90 percent of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) cases. Lung cancer management should begin with a radical change of lifestyle. It is with urgency that one should adopt a low-salt, low-fat, dairy-free, sugar-free and vegetarian diet.

Rule no. 1: Quit cigarettes/cigars. Avoid smoke-filled places and smoking rooms. If you have a spouse who smokes, urge him/her to stop. If this is not possible, avoid the second-hand smoke syndrome, which can be more fatal to non-smokers. Many non-smokers who died of cancer have lived with a spouse who smokes. Children living with parents who smoke generally develop asthma and chronic bronchitis. Quit sharing the same room or space with a smoker.

Remember that second-hand smoke is a carcinogen and an allergen as classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Cigarette smoke contains 4,000 chemicals, 200 of which are poisons and 43 of which are carcinogens.

While some may think that cigars are less fatal, they are not. In fact, studies have shown that cigar smokers are four to 10 times more likely to develop cancer of the larynx, mouth and esophagus than non-smokers.

Diabetes: Listen to what the Bible says: “It is not good to eat much honey” (Proverbs 25:27). In biblical times, honey was their sugar. But in today’s world of pastry shops, confections and sweets of all kinds, let’s rewrite this sentence: “It is not good to eat much sweets.” If you come from a family of diabetics, try to:

1. Say no to white sugar, rice, bread, pasta, crackers and cakes. Refined sugar and carbohydrates will only burden your pancreas to produce insulin every time you eat the white stuff.

2. Cut back on high-sugar (high glycemic index) fruits like mango and bananas. But you can mix them with low sugar (low glycemic index) fruits like melons, apples, guavas.

3. Resist making desserts your main meal. Instead, take only ¼ of your cake after a full meal.

Mind

Our minds can be strong medicine or fatal poison. We can simply decide which one is our choice. Know that the mind is connected to the body.

Annie is a 48-year-old mother of two children. She has been a vegetarian for 15 years. One day, she called me asking for help. While her blood test came out normal, she still suffered occasional episodes of blood pressure. She asked me why. There could only be one reason: stress.

After doing meditative breathing exercises, she experienced immediate relief.

It’s time to get rid of the following:

1. Unfounded exaggerated hurts: The imagination can wreak havoc on our immune system. A negative thought will raise your acidity levels, and weaken your immune system.

2. Past negative experiences which you keep replaying in your head

3. Fears about the future: If it hasn’t happened yet, why worry about it? In fact, you can project a positive outcome just by programming your mind.

Heart

The heart of the matter is, whatever nurture on the inside affects the outside. Dr. Gary Zukar in “Heart of the Soul” explains that all emotion manifests physically, whether it is love or fear, joy or pain, happiness or anger. Quit the bad feelings, bitterness and pain now. Replace these with only the good memories you cherish. Throw out the garbage. And if any person is the cause of your present grief, change your attitude towards the person.

Affirm today: “I quit the bad and claim the good.”

Love and light!