To stop smoking must be the single most positive action a smoker can take to improve their health

There has been a number of significant research papers published on which the national smoking cessation programme has been based e.g. *Smoking Kills: A white paper on Tobacco (1998), NHS framework: Chronic Heart Disease.

Smoking causes 120,000 deaths in the UK each year; smoking has detrimental effects on the body namely:

Macular Degeneration ● Stroke ● Chronic Heart Disease ● Aortic aneurism
● Chronic Bronchitis ● Pulmonary Emphysema ● Upper Respiratory Tract Infections
● Arteriosclerosis ● Thrombosis ● Embolism ● Peripheral Vascular Disease
Bronchial ● Oesophagus ● Oral cavity ● Pancreas ● Larynx ● Bladder and Bowel Cancers.
Peptic Ulcer ● Impotence ● Low birth weight in babies

Tobacco smoke contains over 4000 chemicals, most of us know that tobacco smoke contains; Tar, Nicotine, and carbon monoxide. But are you aware that it also contains; Mercury ● Lead paint ● Acetone ● hydrogen cyanide ● DDT ● Arsenic? Plus known carcinogens: Benzopyrene ● cadmium ● Benzine ● Urethane ● Naphthylamine ● pyrene ● polonium 210

Nicotine crosses the blood brain barrier within 7 seconds binding to acetylcholine receptors, stimulating them and then blocking any further activity there. If nicotine can cross the blood brain barrier as quickly as this then crossing the placenta into a foetus will be just as easy.

As a stimulant it does not calm the mind or the body but eases any withdrawal symptoms only.

Known effects of nicotine as a stimulant:

• Increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system
• Increase in heart rate
• Stimulates adrenaline release
• Decreasing peripheral blood circulation
• Increase in tremor

* Department of Health, December 1998

Currently there are three main methods of intervention to aid the smoker to become a non-smoker, these are; Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), Hypnotism and Acupuncture.

• NRT is the use of patches, chewing gums, nasal sprays, zaiban and champics, their aim is to replace the nicotine craving using a milder but sustained dose for a period of months whilst adjusting to not smoking.
• Hypnotherapy attempts to recondition the brain into not wanting to smoke.
• Acupuncture uses needle therapy to stimulate the body to cleanse the blood, heal the lungs and boost the body’s natural endorphins to support the mind through withdrawal

The treatment of Smoking addiction using Chinese medicine is actually very successful and combats the feelings of withdrawal very well. By using a combination of points and where necessary a herbal prescription to tackle a number of imbalances that can occur when having smoked for a period of time, a successful outcome can be obtained.

Many patients have felt no desire for a cigarette for some considerable period of time after their first treatment from three days to a week. Follow up treatments reinforce this feeling. The number of treatments required is usually from three to five depending on how often you smoke. The use of a habit breaking psychological strategy is also employed to prevent reaching for a cigarette when you would normally do so e.g. if you sit down on a break with a cup of tea and a cigarette.