Smoking cessation is not an easy feat.  To better your chance of quitting, and remaining a non-smoker you need to know what you are up against. For instance, why should you quit and what you can do to support yourself through the process? We answer these questions and more in this article, Phoenix Smoking Cessation.

Let’s start with some simple, yet startling, facts!

1. Smoking is the single most preventable cause of disease.
2. 443,000 premature deaths a year are caused by smoking or exposure to second hand smoke.
3. 8.6 million live with serious illnesses caused by smoking.
4. Approximately 46.6 million adults smoke daily, despite these statistics.

So why do so many continue to smoke?

Nicotine, the psychoactive drug found in tobacco products, is one of the most addictive substances known to man. More addictive than heroin, cocaine or alcohol. When ingested, nicotine has the paradoxical effect of stimulating both the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems. This explains why people feel both relaxed, and focused. Nicotine increases the flow of dopamine to the brain, which is what gives the smoker an “euphoric” feeling. Have you ever wondered why people continue to smoke even with the known harmful and toxic effects of cigarettes? Part of the reason...the thinking of the smoker changes. Like any addiction, they truly believe that they are more productive, or better off with their cigarettes. In reality the physiological functions of their mind and body suffer.

The Truth about Cigarettes!

There are over 4,000 chemicals in cigarettes, 51 of them are known carcinogens.Carcinogens are chemicals that are known to cause cancer. Some of these known carcinogens in cigarettes are pesticides, TSNAs (tobacco specific nitrosamines), benzene, and formaldehyde. Cigarettes also contain toxic metals, namely arsenic and cadmium. They also contain poisonous chemicals, such as, acetone, ammonia, carbon monoxide, nicotine, hydrogen cyanide, and tar. Still there are more toxic and detrimental aspect to cigarettes than these.

One of the most startling facts about ingredients of cigarettes is that they contain radioactive material. That’s right, radioactive material! Lead-210 and Polonium-210 are two poisonous radioactive heavy metals found in tobacco smoke. These radioactive materials come from the breakdown of uranium to radium found in the soil. When broken down they release radon gas which then decays to Lead-210 and Polonium-210. The two radioactive materials then attach themselves to the tobacco leaves. When inhaled, these metals build up in the bronchioles, creating “hot spots.” These hot spots are places where the tar and chemicals build up. This gives the radioactive compounds time to decay and expose your lungs to radiation everyday.

To put this into perspective, a person who smokes about a pack of cigarettes a day is exposed to a radiation dose of about 60-160 mSv/year. This exposure is the equivalent to having one chest x-ray a week. With this exposure, your chances for cancer are greatly increased.

Smoking Cessation Approaches You May Not Know About

So now that we have your attention about quitting smoking, what can you do? Where do you turn? There are a variety of approaches out there for smoking cessation from nicorete gum to pharmacutical drugs. Here are a few different approaches thatyou may not have heard of or know much about,acupuncture and behavior modification.

Acupuncture

In 1974, New York acupuncturists began setting up their sites inside methadone clinics. They determined that five points in the ear helped with cravings and mental obsessions for smoking, alcohol, cocaine, and opiates. Thus, they established what is known as the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association, NADA. This association promotes a very specific acupuncture technique to help people quit their addictions. This five point protocol has been shown to help decrease withdrawl symptoms as well as cravings for the substance of choice through balancing the person's energy.

The normal course of treatment for smoking cessation is 3 treatments a week for 3 weeks. Needles are inserted into the ears in specific areas. Once the needles are in, the patient relaxes on the table for about 30-45 minutes. The primary effects are to stimulate relaxation, promote detoxification, while significantly reducing cravings. Often times needles are inserted into the body as well for additional support.

Behavior Modification

Behavior modification involves modifying the smoker's behaviors that are involved with smoking over a six week period. Like many habits, smoking is a series of repetitive actions repeated until they become subconscious. This program, established by psychologists, seeks to breakdown these subconscious actions and make them conscious. Each week the doctor works with the smoker breaking down each habit to slowly de-construct the brain patterning involved with smoking. The end result is smoking becomes less and less enjoyable. In this program, the patient is slowly weaned off the cigarettes, whereas in the acupuncture program, the patient quits cold turkey.

You can be free of smoking. You will be free of smoking. And you will change your life forever by letting go of this habit. We are here to help, and we are here to see you reach the goal of being a non-smoker!

To learn more about smoking cessation and treatments offered by Dr. Christy Cline, click on the link below or give us a call.