Tabac Stop Center uses new technique to help smokers give up their habit CAIRO: Earlier this year, Kenza Badawi was desperate to stop smoking after 20 years of addiction. After trying many unsuccessful methods, she flew to a clinic in Geneva called the Tabac Stop Center (a registered company in Geneva) and finally kicked the bad habit. "In just one hour I quit, she explains excitedly, "I couldn't believe it, so I decided to try to open the center here in Cairo for all those who want to quit too. So Badawi, who is half Swiss and half Egyptian, and her daughter Nour Aboulela flew back to the center where they took courses and got diplomas to practice the clinic's techniques here. Treatment is achieved using a laser beam, but the word laser shouldn't scare off prospective clients. It is actually a painless process using cold laser therapy that gives off neither heat nor light, but which produces a concentrated beam of energy that is directed at certain nerve ends. The simple explanation of the method is that there is one control center at the base of the brain called the hypothalamus which releases endorphins. These are the feel-good hormones that are released when people do things like eat chocolate, have sex or sit in the sun. If you smoke, the hypothalamus becomes dependent on nicotine, among other things of course, in your system to produce endorphins. Addiction to cigarettes results from the fact that, when we smoke, the nicotine passes into the bloodstream and causes the endorphin rate to increase. After smoking a cigarette the endorphin rate in the body rises rapidly and after the cigarette it falls again. What this laser does is help the body release these hormones naturally without a dose of nicotine. Essentially, the increase in production of endorphins decreases the withdrawal symptoms of quitting smoking, making it a painless experience. Within three days, when all the nicotine is out of your system, you will no longer be addicted. According to Aboulela, treatment doesn't stop the psychological flashbacks. "After a meal, when you're on the phone ... Certain activities that are related to your smoking habits will remind you of smoking, but you won't actually 'need' a cigarette anymore. Unfortunately 10 percent of people do go back to smoking although they are no longer addicted. Usually after two half hour sessions, on two consecutive days, the patient is free of dependency. A third session is available as part of the package. Badawi says that the 10 percent that go back to smoking are the ones who come with a partner and are not convinced. "If you made the decision yourself, we guarantee you will stop smoking, she says. The center also offers sessions to avoid weight gain after quitting. They do sessions that specifically relax the mouth muscles so one does not resort to overeating to get rid of physical tension. The best part is there are no side effects, as it is a totally natural process. People with heart diseases, cancer or recovering from a serious operation can do it too. They also have a topologist (the art of well-being) and a psychologist that can do light hypnosis and try to convince a patient to stop before undergoing laser sessions. The Tabac Stop Center method comes with a written guarantee and one year's follow-up, free of charge. It is approved by the Ministry of Health in Egypt For more information check out the Web site: www.tabac-stop-center.comor call directly 002 012 310 2130 or 012 230 6195Tabac Stop Center, 8 Taha Husein Street, apartment 1, Zamalek, Cairo
