Acupuncture to Quit Smoking

Quitting smoking can be one of the best things you can do for your health. Unfortunately, the nicotine in cigarettes is extremely addictive, making it hard for many people to stop smoking. The good news is that recent research has shown that acupuncture can be a very effective way to quit smoking.

What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is an Oriental Medicine treatment where acupuncture needles are inserted into the body. The needles are inserted into acupuncture points to adjust the Qi, or energy, of our body. These acupuncture points exist along energy channels called acupuncture meridians, which connect the surface of our body with our internal organs. By altering the flow of Qi, acupuncture can adjust many aspects of our mental and physical functioning, including helping us stop smoking and curbing our withdrawal symptoms from smoking cessation.

Why You Should Stop Smoking?

The health benefits of quitting smoking are undeniable. Many diseases are linked to smoking including lung cancer, emphysema, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD). Other cancers, heart attacks and strokes are also much more common in smokers than non-smokers.

The good news is that quitting smoking at any time can greatly benefit your health. Stopping smoking can benefit your body even within a few hours as carbon monoxide levels in your body begin to normalize. After several months of quitting smoking, your lung functioning will begin to improve substantially. Several years after quitting smoking, your risks of other smoking-related diseases decrease significantly.

How Can Acupuncture Help Me Stop Smoking?

Acupuncture can be very effective in helping you to stop smoking. A recent study showed that 40% of smokers who received acupuncture to quit smoking combined with anti-smoking counseling were able to successfully stop smoking. Best of all, if you are able to quit smoking for six months, the chances that you will start smoking again are very low.

Acupuncture treatments to quit smoking are usually combinations of body acupuncture, auricular ear acupuncture, and Chinese Herbal Medicine. These acupuncture treatments to stop smoking will help you in several ways:

• Acupuncture can help you relax, diverting stress that leads to smoking.
• Acupuncture can balance your body, helping you detoxify after you quit smoking.
• Acupuncture can significantly reduce nicotine cravings making it easy for you to stop smoking.

Auricular ear acupuncture to stop smoking is the most common form of treatment for smoking cessation. The National Acupuncture Detox Association (NADA) has developed a system of five auricular (ear) acupuncture points to assist in the detoxification from addiction, including quitting smoking.

Auricular ear acupuncture to quit smoking is usually given two to three times per week for three weeks. It is important to be committed to quitting smoking when you start your smoking cessation program, as this will increase your chances of success. Many people who use acupuncture to stop smoking also report a change in their taste thresholds leading to a dislike of the taste of cigarettes.

During auricular acupuncture treatment to stop smoking, five ear acupuncture points are needled: Shenmen, Sympathetic, Lung, Liver, and Kidney. Additional ear points may be added to further help you stop smoking such as the nicotine point, point zero, mouth, and aggressivity acupoints. Magnetic auricular therapy balls may also be used to allow you to stimulate these points if you experience nicotine cravings in between treatments.

An added benefit of acupuncture to quit smoking is that treatment can include points that help suppress your appetite and improve your mood, reducing the depression and weight gain that many people experience when they stop smoking.

Tips To Help You Stop Smoking

• Get regular acupuncture treatments to help you quit smoking. Missing appointments will make it harder to stop smoking.
• Chinese Herbal Medicine can also be beneficial during a smoking cessation program. Talk to your Acupuncturist to learn more.
• Drink lots of water to support your body’s detoxification as you stop smoking.
• Avoid being around other smokers when you are quitting smoking.
• Try new activities that keep your mind off of smoking.

Many people try to stop smoking several times before they are able to successfully quit smoking for good. By incorporating acupuncture and other treatments such as hypnosis, herbal medicine and counseling, you can dramatically increase the odds that you will quit smoking for good while also reducing side effects such as depression and weight gain.