Stopping Smoking with Chinese Medicine

Tobacco gradually changes our health: it is also addictive. It changes our perception in such a way that it persuades us we can't stop, and that we feel OK while taking it - until about 20 years of smoking have passed. (Only those who have stopped smoking notice how much better they feel.)
It is also a social imperative: we smoke because we see others smoke, so it must be all right. And we fear giving up in case we fail to give up.

How can Chinese Medicine help us stop smoking?

First, we take a full case-history. This may seem irrelevant, when all you want is to stop smoking. But we would say that if you really wanted to stop, you would. To put it crudely, if you put a mask on that prevented you from smoking, and waited about four days, you would have stopped smoking. You might still want to smoke from habit, but the addictive effect of the drug would have worn off. So although we know you want to stop smoking, many years of the habit will have weakened your health and your resolve.

There may also be a chronic health problem or situation, such as asthma or tension, which gets some relief from smoking, or which might get much worse if you stop suddenly. (You would be surprised at the number of asthmatics whose asthma worsens as they try to stop, although once they have stopped there is usually a steady improvement in many areas, not just in their asthma.) Another issue is that smokers find their appetite, and consequently their weight, increases when they stop.

Amongst smokers, common syndromes in Chinese medicine include Phlegm-Heat, Stagnation of Liver Qi, Deficiency of Lung Qi, Deficiency of Stomach Qi, Kidney Deficiency.

Once we have taken your case-history and done a physical check-up (this, if necessary, might include - for instance - taking your blood pressure, examining your back and chest, taking your pulse and looking at your tongue) we can recommend treatment appropriate for you. This might well include acupuncture, either on your ears or elsewhere on your body. Often it includes suggestions for exercise, breathing, lifestyle, diet and supplements. We may also suggest herbs. We might suggest hypnotherapy too.

Sometimes we refuse to do a 'stop smoking' treatment until an underlying health situation has been treated.

Some people need one acupuncture treatment to stop. Do not be disheartened if we think you need more. Some of the most successful ex-smokers have become much healthier as a result of the treatment they received whilst progressing towards non-smoking status, and the treatment increased their ability to stop when the time came.