Cigarette smoking is associated with increased rates of chronic disease. These conditions range from heart disease to cancer. Smoking is a modifiable risk factor, meaning that something can be done about it; however, quitting is often very difficult for most people. Medications can help to diminish the habit, but they are sometimes associated with negative side effects, are contraindicated in many people and, at best, prove beneficial in only a quarter of the population.
Hypnosis
Psychiatrist Nicholas A. Covino writes in a 2001 "Journal of Dental Education" article that hypnosis at its core is simply the use of suggestion, focused attention and a cooperative patient-practitioner relationship. These principles combined allow for the positive changes in behavior that would help someone quit smoking. Covino states that hypnosis can be most helpful to motivate smokers to begin a cessation effort, while continued hypnosis in addition to other behavior modification techniques is involved in extending this effort into achievement and maintenance of the goal.
A particular suggestive technique, known as the Spiegel method, seeks to create an association between smoking and the physical effects it has on the body. The Spiegel method encourages concentration on the ideas that smoking is poisonous to the body, the body is necessary to live, and if you truly want to live, that you owe your body the respect and protection it requires. Whenever there is an urge to smoke--and every one to two hours in between--these ideas should be repeated.
Guided Imagery
Guided imagery in healing is defined by the Academy for Guided Imagery as "a thought with a sensory quality," meaning a mental picture able to invoke all of the senses and communicate with the conscious mind. These mental pictures shape who a person is, what they think they deserve and how they care for themselves. When those ingrained images are negative and unhealthy, the use of guided imagery can contribute to the formation of new mental pictures and thus healthier habits. According to a 2005 "Journal of Nursing Scholarship" article, guided imagery for smoking cessation was proven to be very effective for long-term abstinence from smoking. Personal guided imagery sessions, in addition to 20-minute audio-taped exercises per day, significantly improved abstinence from smoking, even two years after intervention.
Acupuncture
Although acupuncture has an extensive history as an ancient healing art in Asian countries, its use for addictions only dates back to the 1970s, notes a 2000 issue of "Acupuncture Today." The early history of addiction therapy combined an acupuncture point for the lung with electrostimulation. This combination was found to relieve the withdrawal symptoms of opiates. Nicotine in cigarettes is associated with very strong and often unconquerable withdrawal symptoms. The Tufts University Evidenced-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine website notes that ear acupuncture as a part of a comprehensive educational program for smoking cessation was very successful and was maintained after an 18-month follow-up. The cessation rates were 40 percent, compared to national one-year averages of only 20 to 25 percent for smoking cessation using a combination of pharmaceuticals and behavior therapy.
Homeopathy
Homeopathy is a healing art based on the principle of "like cures like." Tobacco in homeopathic doses can help someone quit smoking. Naturopathic physician and renowned homeopath Dana Ullman writes in a 1995 article that the homeopathic remedy tabacum, in a 6x or 12x dose, can help a person detox tobacco from his body while reducing cravings for it. Ullman notes that while seeing a professional homeopath for a constitutional remedy will provide the best results, taking tabacum whenever there is a desire for a cigarette within the first 10 days of quitting can be very helpful. Other well-noted homeopathic remedies for smoking cessation include caladium, lobelia, nux vomica, and plantain. These remedies can help with promoting distaste for cigarettes as well as dealing with secondary food cravings.
References
- Journal of Dental Education: Hypnosis, Behavioral Therapy and Smoking Cessation
- Academy for Guided Imagery: What is Guided Imagery
- Journal of Nursing Scholarship: Guided health imagery for smoking cessation and long-term abstinence
- Acupuncture Today: A Brief History of Acupuncture for Detoxification in the United States
- Tufts University Evidenced-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Acupuncture and Smoking Cessation
