ABOUT ME

ABOUT ME

My name is Leslie Lyon, and I am the owner and creator of the STOP Clinic. For the past 30+ years, we have helped people stop smoking, lose weight, and change their lives.

My work in the medical field started out in 1989, when I joined Alan Spanos, MD who ran a multidisciplinary chronic pain clinic in Raleigh, NC called Blue Ridge Clinical Associates. A medical doctor all his working career, Dr. Spanos decided one day to become an acupuncturist. As his assistant, I became the clinic’s expert on the use of our medical electrical treatment devices – a.k.a., electrical acupuncture.

When our clients began to report that the same treatments used to address their chronic pain were also helping them naturally reduce the urge to smoke and lose weight, we knew we were onto something! Dr. Spanos urged me to create dedicated Smoking Cessation and Weight Loss programs, which were met with huge success – and gradually, The STOP Clinic grew into “a life of its own”.

Since then, I’ve been honored to help thousands of people in their healing journeys. When not helping clients, I enjoy taking part in continuing education programs, traveling adventures, bridge competitions, biking, sailing, and growing my own edible fruits and plants!

How the STOP Clinic came to be

During my time with Dr. Alan Spanos at Blue Ridge Clinical Associates, I had the opportunity to work with some of the finest acupuncturists from all over the World: Dr. Zhenjiang Chen from China; Dr. Yoshitaro Kusumi from Japan; and of course, Dr. Spanos himself. We specialized in helping people heal naturally without surgery and very minimal amounts of medications.

Later, I realized being with this diverse group of practitioners – including Acupuncturists, Medical Doctors, Physical Therapists, Medical Massage Therapists (Michal Gracz), Counselors, Chiropractors and a Feldenkrais Specialist (Mary Cochran) – was one of the greatest opportunities of my life! Doctors Kusumi, Chen, and Spanos were great mentors teaching me their techniques, answering questions, and exposing me to their World of “Natural Healing”… the power of allowing one’s body to heal itself. I remember a favorite quote from Dr. Kusumi: “If it won’t spoil, don’t eat it!”

I assisted Dr. Spanos with the majority of his chronic pain patients once they were on a treatment and maintenance schedule. One of my duties (that I loved) was teaching our chronic pain patients how to use the electrical devices to achieve the most efficient treatment and management for their pain. The TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) unit had a sedation mode and a treatment mode. The codetron machine had different electrical frequencies to address patient’s different levels of pain. In order to save the patients time and money, we rented the equipment to our patients and called this service, “poor man’s acupuncture”.

Our knowledge of the body’s meridians and acupuncture points enabled us to position the electrodes on acupuncture points that best served our patients’ pain needs, allowing them to reach optimal results quickly!

When Dr. Spanos began incorporating acupuncture into his practice, he was so excited with the results of his treatments that he often called me into the treatment room to witness each “latest miracle”. One day, he called me in to meet a young lady he was treating for a “frozen shoulder”. On her second visit, she shared, “I don’t know what you did to me, but ever since my last acupuncture treatment with you, I have NOT wanted a cigarette!”

Dr. Spanos was very excited about this latest discovery. At the time, in 1992, the only other person in Raleigh helping people stop smoking was Dr. Kusumi. (His technique was called “Aversion Therapy”. He made you smoke in a very small room until you felt sick, then strategically placed needles and administered a shock that was quite painful. According to reports from his past clients, “You either stopped smoking or you wanted to smack him”!) It was an honor to work with Dr. Kusumi in our Clinic! Dr. Spanos approached me and exclaimed, “There is a real need for a smoking cessation program in our area. Why don’t you work on making one?”

I was very excited with this challenge and agreed to do so. Six months later, we started offering our program to the public, and it “went viral.”

“I don’t know what you did to me, but ever since my last acupuncture treatment with you, I have NOT wanted a cigarette!”

“I don’t know what you did to me, but ever since my last acupuncture treatment with you, I have NOT wanted a cigarette!”

Two months later, people started calling the office with requests to lose weight. “My friend came to your clinic to stop smoking and lost 6 pounds!  I want to come to your weight loss program.” Dr. Spanos said, “Set it up!” So, two months later, we began offering a food addiction program. Both programs are a huge success!

One of my favorite stories: Two years after our program began, a client, George, came to us to stop smoking. Being a truck driver, he was very excited that he was able to kick his life-long habit! On his second visit, he asked me if I could help his wife, Jean, who suffered from a condition he called “Chemical Drug Sensitivity”. He explained that Jean had been sick and in a wheelchair for the past 7 years. It was very difficult for her to go anywhere without feeling “deathly ill” – even the smell of new carpet or perfume in an elevator made her ill.

I replied to George, “I have no experience with this!” But he begged me to try to help her. He felt so good, he wanted her to feel good, too. I asked Dr. Spanos for advice, who said, “Give her 3 treatments and see what happens.”

When George brought Jean to me, I was very nervous. I asked Jean if she was willing to change her diet, deleting the inflammatory foods. She said she was willing to do ANYTHING to go back to the life she once had. When I first met Jean, she was in a wheelchair and on a breathing apparatus, bent over as though very uncomfortable. When Jean returned to me after the first visit, she was no longer on the breathing apparatus. After her second visit, she WALKED in WITHOUT her wheelchair. Chills went all over my body. After her third visit, Jean had returned to her gardening activities which she so dearly loved. After a few more visits we discovered, as long as Jean stayed away from the inflammatory foods, the symptoms of her illness also stayed away.

During my past 2 decades of working with people for nicotine addiction and food addiction, I have witnessed many “miraculous” healings take place. Many of my past clients were gracious enough to share their results on our testimonial page. 

Conditions we’ve managed to help with our treatments include:

The STOP Clinic has blessed me with this great opportunity to work with people helping them meet their health care goals and escape from sickness and addictions. I often tell people that the STOP Clinic was meant to be, and has morphed into a life of its own over the past 28 years. I feel honored that you are choosing to work with me and allowing me to be a small part of your journey and healing process!