Helix Clinic blog

Following on from  yesterday’s post about the connection between childhood asthma and watching TV, we thought of an interesting way to use posture to help someone who is trying to stop smoking.

Many smokers have a similar posture where the upper spine is collapsed (like the children mentioned yesterday). Smoking is inherently unpleasant to the lungs, so part of this contraction happens over time as a defensive postural reaction to the smoke.

If you are a smoker, take a brief moment to assess your own posture to see if this holds for you. If it does, and if you are currently trying to give up smoking, you can use the following exercise as a way to condition yourself away from cigarettes.

Take a few minutes to close your eyes and imagine yourself as a healthy non-smoker sometime in the future, standing in a beautiful natural environment where the air is clean and clear. Picture yourself with a naturally straight upper spine, so that your lungs are fully open to the clean air and you are able to breathe deeply and well. Physically allow your posture to adjust at this point so that your spine is straight and you are breathing deeply. Continue to imagine yourself immersed in this scene, and become aware of how good you feel about the fact that you are no longer a smoker. Stay aware of your good posture, and allow yourself to feel free of all past cravings for cigarettes. Notice how good you feel confident in the knowledge that you are now healthy and smoke-free.

Enjoy this visualisation for a few minutes and then slowly come back to yourself. With this exercise, you will have effectively anchored a postural state to a state where cravings don’t bother you any more. This means that the next time you experience a cigarette craving, simply adjust your posture, make your upper spine straight so that your chest and lungs feel open, and imagine yourself back in that natural scene, enjoying the clean air with no more cravings. If you visualised the scene well enough, you should find your cravings reduce and eventually disappear by using the power of your posture and the power of your mind!

Tags: cravings, posture, smoking, visualisation

It’s worth remembering that when you give up smoking, your health starts to improve straight away, and the longer you stay nicotine-free the better it gets. Did you know that when you stub out that last cigarette:

• After 20 minutes, your blood pressure and pulse rate will go back to normal.
• After 8 hours, the nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in the blood will have reduced by a half and oxygen levels will have returned to normal.
• After 24 hours, carbon monoxide will have been eliminated from the body, and your lungs will start to clear out mucus and other debris accumulated from smoking.
• After 48 hours, there is no more nicotine in the body. You will find your ability to taste and smell improve.
• After 72 hours, the bronchial tubes in the lungs can start to relax and work more efficiently. This means your energy levels will increase.
• After 2 weeks your circulation will start to improve.
• After 3 months, any lung problems you previously had, such as coughing or wheezing will start to improve. Lung function improves by up to 10%.
• After 5 years, the risk of getting a heart attack falls to roughly a half of that of a smoker.
• After 10 years, the risk of lung cancer halves compared to someone who is still smoking, and the risk of heart attack returns to the level it would be if you had never smoked!

And another benefit… after 10 years you would have saved over £15000 by not smoking. So the only question remaining is… what are you waiting for? If you really want to stop, but the physical cravings are still too much, then maybe we can help. Why not ask us how acupuncture could help you to stop smoking for good.

Tags: heart attack, lung cancer, smoking

In yesterday’s post on how acupuncture can help you to stop smoking, we talked about how 2 or 3 shorter acupuncture treatments per week were more effective than 1 longer treatment per week during those first 3 weeks when the cravings are at their worst.

Before someone gets to that stage though, it is important for them to think about their mindset and whether they really do want to give up smoking. When patients first come in, one of the first things we ask is whether they really do want to give up. It sounds silly to ask this question seeing as that is why they said they have come in, but it is important to check this commitment to change.

Sometimes people feel that they ought to give up smoking, or maybe their partner is always on at them to quit, but when it comes down to it they still really enjoy having that cigarette after meals, or having a smoke when they drink, or sharing a smoking break with colleagues from the office…

If this is the case, it is unlikely that the treatment will be successful, and indeed it is unlikely that any treatment would be successful (e.g. hypnosis, patches etc). Acupuncture cannot make someone change their mind if mentally they are not ready to quit.

On the other hand, if someone is really ready to quit smoking but is just having trouble breaking the physical cravings then acupuncture can be a very powerful agent for change. Acupuncture (and especially ear acupuncture) causes a release of endorphins in the brain. These are the body’s pleasure chemicals and help to suppress the craving for cigarettes. They are also the reason why many people feel so relaxed after an acupuncture treatment. So, if someone is mentally ready to quit cigarettes for good but can’t quite beat those physical cravings then acupuncture could be just the thing.

Tags: mental state, smoking

Looking for something a bit different to check out this weekend? Well, how about going to Haringey’s first seed swap event, organised by Haringey Allotments Forum and Sustainable Haringey’s Food Group.

The idea is simple and a good one - bring along seeds to swap if you have them, and trade with other flower and vegetable enthusiasts to find something new to grow in your garden!

The venue is Bruce Castle and refreshments will be available. The event is being organised by Seven Sisters Permaculture and is running this Sunday the 22nd Feb between 2pm and 4pm. For more information, you can email jehanna@gn.apc.org or sevensisterspermaculture@wikispaces.org.uk

Tags: Haringey, London, permaculture, seed swap

It’s common to experience sweet cravings during pregnancy, and it’s easier than you think to manage the cravings in a healthy way. Our nutritionist Anneliese has a recipe for delicious muffins that combine lots of wonderful ingredients to support your nutritional needs, as well as satisfying that need for sweet, chocolatey things!

You will need:

Unrefined rapeseed oil, for greasing the muffin tray
40g flaxseed
270g unbleached plain flour
100g Xylitol (sugar alternative, available from health food shops)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 medium eggs
220ml soya milk
225g dark chocolate chips
200g dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4, and then lightly grease a muffin tray with rapeseed oil.

Grind the flaxseed using a processor until they look like flour, then add to a mixing bowl.

Sift in the flour, add the Xylitol, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt until combined.

Whisk the eggs and the soya milk together and add to the dry ingredients, and gently fold the ingredients together until you have formed a batter. Stir in the chocolate chips and the dried cranberries.

Divide between the muffin tins and bake for 18 minutes or until golden.  Allow to cool before turning out. Enjoy!!

Tags: chocolate, muffins, pregnancy, sweet cravings