(Editor’s note: Joy Henry is a blogger for An Apple A Day and a specialist on nursing degrees for Guide to Healthcare Schools.)
As a kid, my dad went regularly to see a chiropractor. He was a carpenter who worked on the roofs of houses, and he had consistent back pain from his job. After being hunched over all day, nailing shingles or carrying equipment that was too heavy, he needed pain relief that was dependable and fast.
Another part of my childhood: dad was a chain smoker, and there wasn’t extra money around for quit-smoking patches, programs, or extra trips to the doctor. There wasn’t enough money for him to go to both a chiropractor and a primary care doctor, and of course, dad chose the chiropractor because treating the most immediate issue he had—his debilitating back pain—was the most important to him.
New research, however, is showing how chiropractors themselves could become successful advocates of stop-smoking programs, through quick in-office interventions. The study, published in Nicotine and Tobacco Research, was conducted on a small scale in 20 chiropractic offices. A stop-smoking intervention kit was given to the chiropractors, who were responsible for sharing the information with patients. In the study, DCs interacted with a total of 210 patients, offering them personalized feedback and literature on the need to quit smoking.
Previous research has shown that when people are trying to quit, a doctor’s urging and guidance can make the difference. It makes sense, since health care professionals are some of the most trusted individuals people encounter on a regular basis. And since there are complications associated with smoking that may get a patient referred to a chiropractor, it seems sensible that DCs would be in a good position to give their patients tailored feedback about quitting smoking. Chiropractors, however, have yet to use their position as a trusted professional in order to help their patients quit.
The results of this preliminary study, though, show that DCs who do help guide their patients through a stop smoking program can bring really remarkable results. The study followed up with 156 patients who smoked cigarettes alone, after they had received smoking intervention from their DC. Of these patients, 14% reported taking at least a week-long abstinence from cigarettes 6 months after receiving the counseling, while 22% had done this by a year. Seven percent experienced a prolonged abstinence from cigarettes at 6 months, while nearly 10% did by one year.
The results of the study reflect the stop-smoking rates that primary care doctors are able to achieve through their smoking intervention programs. With these results, the study was deemed a success, and a larger clinical trial is slated to begin soon. If the larger trial confirms these results and again shows chiropractors to be an effective front line against smoking, the model could be used in DC offices across the country. As The Atlas of Life has discussed before, big tobacco has a lot of resources designed to get people to start smoking. Chiropractors could become an essential tool in helping fight the influence of tobacco companies.
And, as health care costs continue to rise and people are forced to choose between seeing their DC and seeing their primary care doctor, it just makes sense to have chiropractors administering stop-smoking programs as well. In a world where quitting smoking remains difficult, even with the many available aids, chiropractors can play an important part in changing people’s health for the better in more ways than one.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
This is another great example of why chiropractors are the leading force in health without the use of drugs and surgery, because we are the ones advocating natural health from within. We need to continue promoting health in this manner and be the guardians of natural health, as the medical profession long ago gave up that mantel.
I may be wrong but has the tone of this website gone from super straight to mixer over time? I am not against mixers, do what you want, but what’s next, a pill to help someone lose weight. You are on a slippery sloap here. Quite a subject for the straight /mixer debators out there.
Rich, we have a patient who quit smoking cold turkey after getting her atlas adjusted. I know another straight chiro who helped someone quit smoking as well. I don’t think of that as mixing, it’s health. This was a guest post by someone outside of chiropractic who’s dad had success quitting smoking because of a chiropractor. I didn’t see a problem with the post at all.
And believe me, if you think I’m a mixer, you don’t know me very well. I’m not on any slippery slope, believe me.
I can see what you are saying Rich, but no, this blog is not a mixer blog. Come on now! It was a guest post. What else on the blog has you thinking it’s a mixer blog?
I will say Brandon, that your example is better than talking about a ‘quit smoking’ campaign.
Brandon, I know enough about you to know that you are a good man. I meant no disrespect.
No offense taken at all, Rich. Just clearing the air.
And once again, it was a guest post by someone outside of the profession whose dad was helped by a chiropractor. I didn’t see a problem with it. If a patient came to me and said they really wanted to quit smoking and wanted to know if there was anything I could offer or suggest to help them, yeah, I might look up some information or suggestions to possibly help them in my down time. I don’t think that’s mixing at all. I wouldn’t start up a smoking cessation program in the office, because that’s not me, but I wouldn’t decline helping them do something positive for their health for the sake of only adjusting their atlas.
It’s the same as doing a health talk or lay lecture where you speak about different ways to get healthy and end it with chiropractic. Obviously I would stress that person continue to come in and get their nervous system checked while they go through withdrawals.
Brilliant post! It reminded me of people who had decided to quite smoking with Richard’s support once they started feeling better and good about themselves – all a result of having a nervous system that was functioning more efficiently.