Holistic Program for Stop Smoking Have been thinking about not smoking for years? Have tried Zyban, nicotine patch, hypnosis even Allen Carr’s “easy way”? Some people concluded: “Stop smoking is such an easy thing, that I did five times over last four month!”
This pamphlet is not offering a "magic bullet" treatment, but share the insight of a holistic approach that assists many people stopped smoking.
This Holistic Program for Stop Smoking is developed based on several components: Holistic consultation, Acupuncture and Herbal treatment and Lifestyle modification.
Before explaining how this program works, it is worth to have a look on few common facts. Why people “enjoy” cigarettes?
ƒ “It makes the meal and coffee taste better, when I have a cigarette with it.”
ƒ “Always more enjoyable to have a cigarette with a (alcohol) drink.”
ƒ “It calms there is anxiety, anger, frustration or stress.”
ƒ “It helps to kill time when I am bored.”
ƒ “That offers a great relaxation after a long and stressful day/work.”
ƒ “What a great freedom to have one when walk out the airports or cinemas!”
The commonest reasons could be the above, but the list far from exhaustive. With such many benefits, no wonder why people won’t give it up. However, let us take a second look in biochemical aspect of it. What is the chemical base of a craving?
When smoke a cigarette, one’s body contains certain lever of nicotine in the blood. Due to the body’s detoxification process, the nicotine lever drop to “bottom line” (far from empty lever) with a few hours. By then, the body is calling for “refill”. That signs as difficult to concentrate, dryness in the month, high irritability, or simply a sense of something is missing. It haunts within the body continuously until one give-up and light up a cigarette. During these two minutes of “refilling”, one experience a sense of relieve from feeding the “hunger” of the nicotine. However, the “refill” also feeds the monster of nicotine that grows ever bigger then before. This circle carries on and on…. Until, in the worst scenario, somebody need smoke three cigarettes continuously, to “catch up” the nicotine lever, when he wakes up in the morning, even before he fully opens his eyes.
What are the triggers for craving?
The craving is not only happen till the nicotine lever drops down naturally, but it triggers off instantly by three factors.
ƒ Chemical: the stomach juice for ingesting food, the caffeine, alcohol and the Endorphines in surge during a sex orgasm will trigger a strong and absolute craving. That is the reason why people often light a cigarette after meal, coffee, (alcohol) drink and sex. A good meal without nicotine “refilling”, the person can not be fully satisfied, because the craving has been triggered off. In the contrast, for the nonsmokers, they hardly have any thought of having a cigarette after a good meal, because their body has fulfilled totally.
ƒ Emotional: Obviously, that is easy to understand this point. Stress, anger, frustration, anxiety, depression, boredom even happiness triggers the craving. As soon as one experiences an emotion, the nicotine craving attacks straight away. The stronger emotion, the greater craving. One patient of mine had a strongest ever craving attack followed by a near death experience, even stopped smoking over four weeks. In fact, the most common emotional trigger for craving, in my clinic’s data, is fear and anxiety. People often tell me that they smoked the most during a night out in the bars. it is easy to understand why. Crowded with stranger in the bar and a sense of unease often leads a stronger anxiety and therefore intense cravings.
ƒ Environmental (habitual): Many times, people “programmed”, without been intentionally, to associate
cigarettes with certain habit/environment. For many house makers, smoking while hold a long chat over the phone and relax with a cigarette after send kids to sleep is common scenario. In this reason, the same chair, the same corner in the garden, the same ashtray, even the same time to associate with cigarettes will trigger cravings.
However, each of those factors affect on each individual in different lever. Some might have litter to do with the chemical factor, but mainly affected by emotions. Other could experience a great influence by a smoking environment. It is very important to understand the difference of those factors in each person. Therefore a length conversation usually carried out and detailed solutions for each trigger factor are instructed during the holistic consultation in stop smoking. What acupuncture and herbs do in assist stop smoking?
Acupuncture is an effective tool to enable one to stop smoking by minimizing cravings, calming the nervous system and speed up detoxification process. Acupuncture intercepts messages sent by the brain to the body that demand more nicotine, thereby disrupting the addictive process. However, acupuncture minimizes, but not eliminates the cravings. Generally the treatment reduces cravings from 20 plus to only 3-5 a day. The person's responsibility is to make it through those few cravings. Therefore, Acupuncture can only work if the person is ready to quit and commit to takes in charge of those minimized cravings.
Meanwhile, certain acupuncture points and herbal tea are helping in speed up the detoxification process. It is common to see that people free from cravings within two weeks of the treatments. In addition, majority of patients notices a sense of relaxation and overall wellness during the process.
The program consist four to six treatments. The initial consultation and the first follow-up session are settled in two days apart, and the rest appointments are four days apart. Please remember:
ƒ If you don’t want stop smoking from your heart, but as a result of nagging or social-imposed mandatory option, do NOT waste your and my time.
ƒ If you want stop smoking, but need help; visit me and follow my program you will be successful.
ƒ Choose a special day. Find the day that your stress relatively less, your social activity relatively quiet. The best day always is Today.
ƒ Smoke as many cigarettes as you can before walk into my office. Make the last puff as deep as you can and try to remember that moment as deep as you can; telling yourself that is the last cigarette in your life.
More topics to your holistic wellness, (like stress relief, chronic pain control and energy recharging), visit me at:
www.ChenQiang.net Chen Qiang, R. Ac.
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