Letter to Editor
With luck, Daniel Thigpen’s 11/4 Lodi Memorial Hospital smoking ban article will prove to be more than merely informative. It may inspire other facilities to prohibit smoking on their premises, with the intent of protecting bystanders from the dangers of indirect inhalation of toxic fumes.
Coincidentally, as reported 10/27 on TV news, in a recent study conducted by the North Shore Medical Center and Massachusetts General Hospital in Salem, Mass., clinical hypnosis met with greater success than nicotine replacement products. Surprisingly to many, the group that quit “cold turkey” came in second to hypnosis — also scoring higher than nicotine pills, patches, gum, lozenges and inhalers.
As a result of investigative follow up, North Shore’s Faysal Hasan, MD, pronounced hypnotherapy “an effective and a viable smoking cessation modality” not only with the study’s hospitalized patients, but also with patients following discharge.
Similar results have surfaced closer to home. Because quitting affects more than just the smoker, on November 5 at their annual Evening of Thanks event First 5 San Joaquin Children & Families Commission recognized Stockton’s Evergreen Professional Hypnotherapy “for their innovative efforts in promoting the importance of tobacco-free environments throughout the community.” Into its fifth successful year offering free smoking cessation to those who qualify, Evergreen is credited with serving parents, relatives, and caregivers, “this year beneficially impacting the lives of more than 100 children under age five [previously exposed regularly to secondhand smoke].”
In addition to the commission-funded cessation program, Dr. Ginny Lucas, Founder and Director of Evergreen, has made it policy since 1992 to provide free smoking cessation for all teens under 18.