How to stop smoking using traditional Chinese medicine, and counselling
- On World No Tobacco Day, we meet a TCM practitioner who helps clients quit using acupuncture, acupressure, herbal remedies and counselling
- She sends patients daily WhatsApp reminders to help them keep on track
The number of tobacco smokers in the world is falling, thanks to higher taxes on cigarettes, advertising bans – and more support to help people quit.
In Hong Kong the proportion of people who smoke has been shrinking for four decades. In 2021 it fell to 9.5 per cent – the first time it has hit single digits, having decreased gradually from 23.3 per cent in the early 1980s.
The decrease can be attributed to the Hong Kong government enacting a ban on smoking in certain public places – starting with lifts, cinemas and public transport in 1982, followed in later years by restaurants, shopping centres, beaches and most parks.
Among the most successful treatments to help smokers kick the habit is acupuncture, says Clara Chan, a registered TCM practitioner of 11 years who has worked at Balance Health clinic in Central since 2018.
