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.
The government also offers free treatment and support to quit tobacco, such as nicotine replacement therapy and free traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for Hong Kong residents.

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.

Around 5 per cent to 10 per cent of her clients are trying to overcome addiction, including nicotine addiction, she says.

“They come to us because they’ve tried other ways to quit and they’ve not worked. They are usually very determined,” she says.

The key is to discover the core reason why people smoke, and address that. “If it’s just a bad habit, smoking is relatively straightforward to quit,” she says. But many of her clients need counselling in conjunction with acupuncture, to explore the cause of the addiction.
“If we know that, we can give guidance on changing life patterns and habits.”

Her clients usually fall into one of three categories:

• Those who have already cut down to smoking a few cigarettes a day through sheer willpower, but need help overcoming the final hurdle

• Those who have a new life situation and need to give up quickly, like having recently become pregnant, had a baby or been given a serious respiratory health diagnosis

• Those who are unable to quit because of a deep-seated psychological issue

Chan cites the example of a high-profile university professor who was busy in his work life, but isolated in his personal life.

“Some clients claim that [acupuncture] actually changes the taste of the cigarettes for them, and they grow to despise the taste”Clara Chan, registered Chinese medicine practitioner

“He was surrounded by people during the day but when he got home he felt lost and very lonely. The cigarette gave him some warmth and some company – in a way, it was something to do,” she says.

“In the end, through acupuncture, we got him down to half a cigarette a day, but he didn’t completely quit until he left Hong Kong and took up a different lifestyle in which he was happier.”
Clients often smoke because they are stressed, so Chan will use acupuncture and acupressure to calm them down and enhance the qi, or vital energy, flowing through their bodies.

“We do calming needling in the forehead and wrist area, and we also needle close to the lung meridian. Some clients claim that this actually changes the taste of the cigarettes for them, and they grow to despise the taste,” she says.

She sometimes prescribes medicinal herbal blends such as xiao yao san and chai hu shu gan tang for stress management and to help regulate the flow of the qi through the liver.

Equally important is setting targets for quitting, Chan says, and as part of the treatment, clients receive a daily reminder through WhatsApp to keep on track.

After five or six weekly sessions, about 80 to 90 per cent of clients are able to quit, she says.
“Post-pandemic, people are coming back to us, much more aware of their health and are proactively trying to do something about it,” she adds.