EDISON, N.J., Nov. 4, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A New Jersey chiropractic clinic is helping area residents improve their health and reduce their disease risk through smoking cessation. According to Dr. Michael Lagana, BackSmart Wellness Center provides a hypnotherapy-based treatment program to help patients change long-ingrained behaviors and perceptions so they can resist the urge to smoke until the craving has disappeared. "We regard smoking cessation as an essential aspect of the holistic health and wellness services we provide at our clinic," says the Edison chiropractor. "Lifestyle changes can be just as critical to wellness care as spinal adjustment."
The dangers of smoking have long been known by the medical community. The American Lung Association lists it as the number one cause of preventable death or illness in the world today, including 90 percent of all deaths from lung cancer. "Smoking affects all the organs, not just the lungs, and is also a leading cause of cardiopulmonary disease and low birth weight in babies whose mothers smoke while pregnant," notes Dr. Lagana. "Unfortunately, those who try to stop smoking find it extraordinarily difficult because the addictive properties of nicotine. In many cases they require outside aid in the form of a structured, professionally administered program."
BackSmart Wellness Center relies on hypnotherapy as the basis of its smoking cessation. The clinic's certified hypnotherapist places participants into a relaxed, trance-like state in which they can achieve an extremely sharp mental focus. "In this state they can concentrate fully on the suggestions we make during sessions," explains the chiropractor. He states that the typical hypnosis session may last up to one hour and that some patients may require more sessions that others before they quit smoking entirely. Suggestions may include new attitudes toward smoking that make it easier for patients to resist the temptation and/or creative imagery to help them envision their new lifestyle as a nonsmoker.
Dr. Lagana states that smoking cessation offers a variety of benefits, some of which become apparent from the start. "When you stop smoking, your quality of life improves immediately as you regain your sense of smell and taste, enjoy whiter teeth and fresher breath." Within the first smoke-free month, he adds, patients start to benefit from normalized vital signs, increased lung capacity and better circulation.
"This fits right in with our holistic, "whole body" approach to wellness," explains the chiropractor. "When we improve one aspect of health, we improve the body's overall functionality. Smoking cessation is a perfect complement to chiropractic adjustment or other wellness therapies as a smart way to live longer and enjoy a healthier life."
In addition to its smoking cessation program, BackSmart Wellness Center offers chiropractic adjustment, nutritional counseling, acupuncture, massage therapy and physical therapy for Edison, Metuchen, Woodbridge Township, Perth Amboy and Sayreville residents.
More information about the center's smoking cessation treatments can be found on their website at: http://www.backsmart.net.