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Smoking Cessation Acupuncture
Smoking and Tobacco Dependence
Smith Chiropractic Clinic
Please read all of the enclosed information. If you wish to undergo treatment, the forms you will need to fill out before the initial consult can be printed directly on your printer. To save time in our office, you can fill them out and bring them in on the day of your initial therapy. Those forms needed in our office will be identified with a "printable version" link.
All of these pages contain important facts about tobacco use and preparation and expectations for your treatment sessions. Please read them in their entirety.
Smoking Facts Smoking is the most preventable cause of death in our society. In fact, nearly 1 in 5 deaths in the US result from the use of tobacco. The 1982 Surgeon General’s Report states that, " Cigarette smoking is the major single cause of cancer mortality in the United States." This statement is as true today as it was in 1982. Lung cancer mortality rates are about 23 times higher for current male smokers and 13 times higher for current female smokers compared to lifelong never-smokers. In addition to being responsible for 87% of lung cancers, smoking is also associated with cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, pancreas, uterine cervix, kidney, and bladder. Smoking accounts for at least 30% of all cancer deaths, is a major cause of heart disease, and is associated with conditions ranging from colds and gastric ulcers to chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and cerebrovascular disease (related to blood circulation).Nicotene is a drug found naturally in tobacco. It is highly addictive, as addictive as heroin and cocaine. The body becomes physically and psychologically dependent on nicotine. Studies have shown that smokers must overcome both of these to be successful and quitting and staying quit.When smoke is inhaled, nicotine is carried deep into the lungs where it is absorbed quickly into the blood stream and carried to the heart, brain, liver, and spleen. Nicotine affects many parts of the body, including the heart and blood vessels, the hormonal system, body metabolism, and the brain. Nicotine is found in breast milk and in cervix mucous secretions. Nicotine freely crosses the placenta and has been found in amniotic fluid and the umbilical cord of newborn infants. Nicotine is metabolized by the liver, lungs, and is excreted in small amounts, by the kidneys.Nicotene produces pleasurable feelings that make the smoker want to smoke more and also acts as a depressant by interfering with the flow of information between nerve cells. As the nervous system adapts to nicotine, smokers tend to increase the number of cigarettes they smoke, and hence the amount of nicotine in their blood. After a while, the smoker develops a tolerance to the drug, which leads to an increase in smoking over time. Eventually, the smoker reaches a certain nicotine level and then smokes to maintain this level of nicotine.
Why Quit?
The Benefits of Quitting Over Time 20 minutes after quitting: blood pressure drops to a level close to before the last cigarette. Temperature of hands and feet increases to normal. 8 hours after quitting: carbon monoxide level in the blood drops to normal. 24 hours after quitting: chance of heart attack decreases. 2 weeks to three months after quitting: circulation improves; lung function increases up to 30%. 1 to nine months after quitting: coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath decrease; cilia regain normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce infection. 1 year after quitting: excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker’s. 5 years after quitting: stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker 5-15 years after quitting. 10 years after quitting: lung cancer death rate about half that of a continuing smoker’s; risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decrease. 15 years after quitting: risk of coronary heart disease is that of a nonsmoker’s.
Acupuncture has been suggested to inhibit the pathway of addiction that nicotine produces and helps ease the urge. Some patients have reported that they have reverted back to smoking only to take two or three puffs and realize a terrible, bitter taste in the mouth. This is most likely the effect of the acupuncture. Acupuncture actually "fools" the brain into thinking it is indeed getting its normal amount of acupuncture, therefore the cravings are not nearly as severe. The habit will still be there, but we have helpful tools to assist you in changing your daily routines that will begin to break this addiction. SIX MONTHS IS THE MAGIC NUMBER. IF YOU CAN MAINTAIN A NO-SMOKING STATUS FOR HALF -A- YEAR, THE LIKELY-HOOD OF STAYING OFF CIGARETTES WILL INCREASE DRAMATICALLY! History Dr. Clinton M. Smith was certified to perform acupuncture in 1988. Beginning February 1, 2001, our office began utilizing needle and laser acupuncture to assist patients is quitting the use of tobacco products. These include cigar, cigarette, pipe and oral snuff. The system has worked for thousands across the country. We are now making this program available to Clinton County residents. In March of 2002, Dr. Smith earned the Fellow of the International Academy of Medical Acupuncture (FIAMA). Qualifications Dr. Smith graduated from National College of Chiropractic (National University of Health Sciences) in 1988 with a doctorate in Chiropractic. He was also certified to perform acupuncture in 1988 by National.. He has been in practice for 13 years in Breese. He is a member of the American Chiropractic Association and the Illinois Chiropractic Society . Dr. Smith received a post graduate degree in Sport Medicine from Logan College of Chiropractic in 1992. He has served as team physician for Mater Dei Football for 12 years. He also serves as President of the Clinton County Board of Health and is currently President of the Board of Directors at Clinton County Community Link, Inc. Patient Preparation Our system is working... the failures we have had up to July 1, 2006 are running at around 25-30%. Most of these are due to patients with extraordinary situations occurring simultaneously with the treatment, i.e., colds, flu, deaths in family, severe emotional stress. The remainder of the patients are reporting substantial decrease in their tobacco dependancy. First and foremost, if your family or friends are urging you to quit your tobacco dependence and you are not ready to quit, PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS PROGRAM. Acupuncture is great for eliminating the dependence on tobacco, but it does not help boost the will of the patient. You have to want to quit. Once you have decided that fact, you are well on your way!You must first do some at-home preparation. You must set a quit date. This is major. Tell your friends, your family, co-workers, etc. about your quit date. Call our office and make an appointment for your initial visit for that date. A few days before your quit date, begin ridding all tempting vices from the house and work. The goal is to have all cigarettes, ashtrays, etc. removed on your quit day. Move your coffee pot to a different part of the kitchen. We are trying to rid the old, and to be quite honest, put a little peer pressure on you. This preparation is very important to your overall success. Come into our office the day of your treatment with an empty cigarette box or pack. We want this to be your brand. We will show you a handy trick in breaking the habit.You should not have any caffeine the day of the procedure also, you should not smoke two hours prior to the first treatment. Begin drinking lots of water and juices, up to eight glasses a day of either or both.Prepare yourself also with common sense. If you, out of habit, smoke at familiar places such as bars, bowling alleys, etc, be smart and realize if you cannot stay away from these places for three or four weeks, make sure you have plenty of pretzels. The urge to smoke should be gone, but the habit will remain. Finally, try to avoid alcohol. This can cause detrimental effects to the treatment. Do your best to avoid alcohol for three weeks after your treatment begins. The Procedure This program requires 1 office visit to complete. Patients will receive up to three painless needle insertions in the right ear. Next a small pin will be placed in the left ear for 24 hours. This is on adhesive tape, easily removed (watch washing your hair so the pin does not come off.) Finally, three points will be stimulated in the left ear with a low level laser.Plan on being in our office an hour for the visit. Please be sure to bring an empty cigarette box, or pack with you. You will be encouraged to exercise and find alternative activities to break your normal routine. Adverse Reactions Needle acupuncture is extremely safe and very rarely has side effects. All needles are one-use disposable and sterilized. Laser acupuncture has no side effects. Undesirable weight gain is of concern in some patients. Studies estimate that a maximum of 10 lbs. can be gained and will be more prevalent in females than males. Exercise is recommended to combat this mild weight gain. If a patient gains more than 10 lbs. after cessation of smoking, one follow up laser treatment for weight gain will be provided, without charge. NOTE: We currently do NOT have an acupuncture plan for weight loss in general. This specific acupuncture treatment is for weight gain secondary to smoking cessation only. Fees The fee for the program is $90.00, payable at the time of service. This covers treatments, one follow-up booster treatment (if needed), and one weight gain treatment (if needed). These must be used in the first six months. If additional smoking boosters or weight gain treatments are needed, a $35.00 charge will apply per visit. Acceptable payment is cash, check or credit card. Visa and Discover cards are welcomed. We will be unable to accept insurance for this procedure. No HMO or PPO plans will be accepted. Advisory There are no claims to your success in this program. Results may vary. Acupuncture is generally considered safe however, infection and injury rarely occur. All prior health histories should be discussed with the doctor prior to the first treatment administration. Subsequent visits for smoking boosters and weight gain past the program package are billed at $50.00 per visit and are payable at the time of service. A Health History and Informed Consent forms must be completed and presented to our office prior to any treatment. By clicking on the links, you can print these and have them filled out prior to coming in. Congratulations! You are on your way to one of the healthiest decisions you have ever made! References:
08/03/2006 Stop smoking . . . printable consent form
Nutrition Some verbiage about nutrition.
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© copyright 2003 Clinton M. Smith, D.C.,P.C. All rights reserved. |
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Smoking... Now!