In Egypt, where smoking indoors and in hospitals is socially acceptable, where cigarettes are cheap, and where there are 16 million smokers, increasing annually by a 7-percent rate, quitting smoking isn't exactly an easy feat. The country and its population have long resisted the global anti-smoking trend and government's lightly-enforced laws limiting the practice, which remains common among Egyptians regardless of age or social class. For this reason, I Quit Smoking (IQS) has come to Egypt with the mission of helping smokers quit this habit as well as raise awareness about it s adverse effects. IQS is a clinic for quitting smoking which was founded in 2001 at Waterford, Ireland by a team of professionals, specialized in electronics, medicine, physics, acupuncture and marketing. After years of research in auricular therapy, the Reflection Instrument Scanning Electro-pulse device, and the core of the IQS method, was created. It uses pain-free electrical stimulation to the reflex points on the ear, which helps break up the tobacco substances accumulated in the organs. In addition, it also eliminates the person's craving for smoking while controlling the stress level by releasing endorphins, the "feel-good substance, which replaces nicotine in the body. Electro stimulation is a soft current that stimulates the nerve plexus in precise points; the frequency creates a tuning fork like effect which excites the targeted nerve endings without pain. The stimulation is made on the ear because all parts of the body are connected to the external ear at very precise points. IQS was brought to Egypt by Dr. Wael Safwat, manager of IQS Egypt and a smoking cessation consultant. "In Egypt, there are only around three or four specialized in smoking cessation. Patches and other medicines [to help quit smoking] are expensive when around 70 or 80 percent of smokers are from low economic classes, he said. "However, the IQS method is relatively affordable by everyone; it is all about sessions which can be given at a range of prices from LE 10 to LE 500. "The first day a person comes in, he talks with me and the psychologists and after his or her evaluation we determine the treatment program, explained Safwat. According to Safwat, the first three to 21 days are the most challenging for anyone who wants to quit smoking as the person experiences withdrawal symptoms. Each session at IQS is 20 to 40 minutes, the first two are the most important and it is recommended that they are taken in the first two days. Then a session after 21 days and another one after six months. The entire IQS treatment program is six months, during which the person takes up to five sessions. "All this entirely depends on the person and whether he needs them. For example they could follow up with us on the telephone or come in every once in a while, said Safwat. The IQS treatment program involves another integral part: homeopathy. At IQS Egypt, Dr. Heba Haddara, expert in human genetics and holistic medicine practitioner, is responsible for the homeopathy part of the program. "Anyone coming in has to have the will to quit smoking. However not everyone has the power to quit even if they have the will and this is where I step in, said Haddara. The treatment starts with determining the reason why the person has became attached to the cigarette in the first place, whether it is psychologically, environmentally or for other reasons. The doctor then starts evaluating three facets of the person: the physical, the mental and the emotional. "The physical aspect is known as we all know the effects of smoking on our health. However when we start talking to the person, we have to find either a mental or emotional reason for their smoking that makes them dependent on the cigarette, explains Haddara. "I do not only help them in quitting smoking, but support them to be physically, emotionally and mentally balanced, she added. There are two main reasons the majority of people coming to IQS want to quit smoking. The first is religion - a relatively recent fatwa has condemned the practice as haram, religiously prohibited. The second is their fear of being diagnosed with a serious disease, such as cancer or susceptibility to heart disease later on in life. While the age range of their patients is varied, it was the relatively older ones who were serious and were able to completely quit. IQS has more than 300 centers open worldwide in over 30 countries including the United States, United Kingdom and Germany, as well as in several Middle Eastern countries including Algeria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. IQS Egypt15 Ebad Alrahman Street, square 1142, Sheraton HeliopolisTelephone: 2268-2304
