| Several people in Marshall have gotten serious
about kicking their smoking habits.
One such person is Judy Meibach. Judy had smoked for over 50 years
and had tried to quit many times. She tried hypnosis twice, patches,
and gum, but all to no avail.
Judy heard about a stop smoking method one day when she was at the
American Legion. “I overheard a conversation about a place
that could help you stop smoking, so I asked them about it,” said
Mrs. Meibach.
That conversation led her to Leslie-Cam® Smoking Cessation Center,
Inc. in Chesterfield, MO.
Leslie-Cam® has helped thousands of people stop smoking by using
a treatment called auriculotherapy, which was developed by scientists
at UCLA in the 1950’s. Because smoking was so popular in the
50s, auriculotherapy received little notice and the research was
discontinued. However, the method was re-introduced in the 1980’s
as society and the medical community began realizing the negative
effects of smoking.
Auriculotherapy works by using a small and precise amount of stimulus
to the nerve endings on the ear. This causes smokers to lose their
desire to smoke with few, if any, withdrawal symptoms. This method
of treatment, unlike any other smoking cessation techniques, directly
treats the nicotine addiction.
Miebach, who used to smoke a couple packs a day, described the treatments
as painless.
Judy works at the Frontier Tavern and is around smoke during her
time at work. Her husband also smokes.
“Being around the smoke has not bothered me. If I feel that
I’m having a problem, I just take a deep breath and work through
it,” said Judy. She had her treatment on Saturday, November
11, 2005. Almost a year later, Judy is still smoke-free, doesn’t
have the nagging cough that she had before quitting, and is a big
supporter of anyone who wants to quit.
Judy has been responsible for others who have gone to Chesterfield
and has even taken some by herself. Bill Adams wanted to quit smoking
after 48 years. Judy Meibach shared her story with Bill, and he decided
to give it a try this past January.
“I smoked on the way over there and stopped in Vandalia for
lunch. I smoked three cigarettes at lunch. As we left the restaurant,
I gave my cigarettes and lighter to a worker there,” said Mr.
Adams. Being around smoke doesn’t bother Bill. “I have
no desire to smoke, but I take it day to day.” Bill said that
things taste better to him now, but that wasn’t always the
case.
He’s a big Mt. Dew drinker and for a week or so the Mt. Dew
tasted nasty to him. He experienced that with a few other things,
but now he says everything is back to normal. Health-wise, Mr. Adams
feels better. With the money he has saved since January, Bill was
able to buy a tool box with tools. “I can put back the money
to buy something that I need.”
Doit Harlow had smoked for 61 years. He had smoked 1 ½ to
2 packs of cigarettes a day.
Judy (Meiback) is the one who told me about it,” said Mr.
Harlow. He made the trip in October of 2005 and has been smoke-free
for a little over a year. Harlow’s daughter quit smoking and
his grandson quit chewing tobacco. “I would recommend it to
anyone who wants to quit smoking,” said Doit.
Steve Nash’s wife Julie heard about Leslie-Cam® from Mr.
Harlow’s daughter and suggested it to Steve. Steve had been
a smoker for 34 years. He gave up cigarettes on January 20, 2006.
Not yet 50 years old, Steve was motivated to quit smoking after a
visit to see Dr. David Davis. He was told that he had the starting
signs of emphysema. Emphysema is described as a “smoker’s
disease”. Very seldom is it ever found in anyone other than
smokers. His decision was made after receiving that disturbing information.
Steve had actually quit 10 years ago for five months. “I was
miserable and grumpy. I have had no withdrawals with this treatment,” Steve
shared. Steve put on a little weight after he quit smoking. However,
he has taken up walking and has not only lost that weight, but additional
weight as well.
Smoking about 1 ¼ packs a day made smoking an expensive habit
for Steve. In addition to saving money, he reports that his senses
of taste and smell have improved. The Mexican food that he always
enjoys tastes even better now. His sense of smell has improved, which
isn’t always a good thing.
Even before going to Chesterfield, Steve was actively making changes
to help with his success. “I have already changed my routine.
I changed when I usually smoked. My morning routine was to smoke
first, then shower. I changed that around and smoked after I showered.
I also made up my mind that if I wanted to smoke that I would wait
five minutes before smoking.”
He adds that there are a lot of social ties to smoking. He misses
going out to smoke with his friends at work. He also pointed out
that it doesn’t hurt to harp on someone to quit smoking. The
more someone pressures a smoker to quit, the more enticing it is
to continue smoking.
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