Acupuncture Alliance Integrative Health Center LLC
Chinese Medicine (CM) and smoking cessation:
Acupuncture and Herbs can help you
STOP SMOKING
Each year, people across the globe vow to finally quit smoking for good only to watch their resolution fade away over time. If you have tried to quit smoking, you know how difficult it can be. It is hard because nicotine is a highly addictive substance. For some people, it can be as addictive as heroin or cocaine.
Acupuncture as an alternative approach to smoking cessation has a growing number of converts. In fact, acupuncture is often a court mandated treatment for drug addicts because of its ability to curb withdrawal symptoms and manage cravings.
It is estimated that most smokers will attempt to quit 2 or 3 times, or more, before finally kicking the habit. When conventional methods to quit smoking, such as nicotine gum or patches, have failed, smokers often look outside the mainstream and turn to alternative medicine.
Acupuncture is not a magic cure in the treatment of any addiction, including smoking. But rather, an effective aide in making it easier to quit and remain smoke-free. If you are highly motivated and ready to quit, acupuncture can empower you to take control and begin a healthy and smoke-free life!
A Formidable Addiction
More than 50 million Americans smoke, and nearly 7 million more use smokeless tobacco. The numbers are even higher in other parts of the globe, with worldwide statistics showing that one out of three men and women over the age of 18 are smokers.
The reasons to quit smoking are endless. Cigarettes have 4000 known poisons, any of which can kill in high enough doses. One drop of pure nicotinic acid can kill a man. According to the CDC, tobacco kills more than 440,000 people each year, in the US alone. Not to mention the chronic illnesses and diseases that are associated with smoking. Emphysema, lung cancer, high blood pressure, shortness of breath, chronic cough, an increased frequency of colds and flu; these are just a few of the widely known risks associated with smoking.
Many people decide to quit because of the enormous expense of a cigarette habit or are just plain tired of being dependant on a substance. There is also considerable social pressure not to smoke. I am sure that most smokers can recall a dirty look or rude comment from someone that was nearby when they lit up.
How Does Acupuncture Help Break the Cigarette Habit?
Acupuncture has turned a growing number of cigarette cravers into permanent ex-smokers. As said before, acupuncture is not a panacea or a magic cure in the treatment of smoking. It can, however, reduce the cravings and lessen the withdrawal symptoms associated with quitting.
Oriental Medicine aims to treat the specific symptoms that are unique to each individual using a variety of techniques such as acupuncture, Chinese herbs, bodywork, lifestyle/dietary recommendations and energetic exercises to restore imbalances found in the body.
We do an interview to learn about your unique smoking habits and perform a physical examination including blood pressure, taking the pulse and observing the tongue. The emotional and physical symptoms that you are experiencing will help create a clear picture on which your practitioners can create a treatment plan specifically for you.
The acupuncture treatments will focus on the jitters, the cravings, the irritability, and the restlessness that people commonly complain about when they quit. It will also aid in relaxation and detoxification. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
Our Protocol:
We know through research and studies (http://www.acudetox.com/) that acupuncture helps with the withdrawal symptoms when a person stops smoking. Why is it though, that so many people go through so many different techniques to stop smoking, only to pick it up again a month, or a year later? We believe that a guided exploration into why a person smokes is an important part of the recovery from the addiction. For years we have offered "Smoking Cessation Clinics" in different countries, and we have found that if a person is really ready to stop smoking, but hasn't been able to find the tools to break the pattern, this 3 week protocol has again and again been an effective and illuminating part of the process to being free from tobacco for life.
The cost for the 3 week clinic $250, which includes:
The American Cancer Association has endorsed a study on acupuncture and smoking. To read more about it, click here.
