Quitting Smoking for Good with Acupuncture

Acupuncture is already a renowned method used in treating smoking addiction. An alternative medicine believed to have originated as far as 3000 BC in ancient China, this treatment is now being widely utilized for various medicinal and therapeutic purposes. It has been found furthermore to successfully treat drug dependence and chronic smoking addiction.

There are several smoking cessation medications and therapies available presently. However acupuncture is a recommended alternative procedure, especially where conventional therapies have already failed. The strategic insertion of needles in various parts of the body aims to treat the condition in a more profound and emotional level. A smoker needs to free himself from the physiological and psychological addiction of smoking, thus necessitating a more holistic treatment.

How It Stops the Addiction

The placement of needles is usually located behind the ear, or on the ear cartilage. This is where the calming effect takes place, curbing the patient’s cravings for more cigarettes. People who have a smoking habit are bound to take up the nicotine stick more often whenever they feel stressed, bored, or depressed. Needles are also often inserted on the hand and wrists to promote a steadier flow of bodily energy. The feeling of relaxation will help an individual think twice about lighting a cigarette again.

Furthermore, this treatment has been found to help an individual deal with the withdrawal symptoms better.  This alternative medicine promotes better tolerance to pain and discomfort during smoking cessation. Withdrawal symptoms can range from mild to severe and may involve nausea, palpitations, and dizziness. Oftentimes, these same conditions will propel an individual back to his smoking tendencies sooner than later.

Nicotine is the addictive and toxic substance present in a cigarette. This is the same substance that makes quitting a big challenge for most smokers. The nicotine that you get from smoking will attach itself to the pleasure areas in the brain, making it hard for you to stop. Without a steady stream of this substance, a smoker will tend to feel depressed and uncomfortable.

People who have undergone acupuncture treatment reported that they no longer find cigarettes as tempting or as satisfying. Oftentimes, smoking would leave an awful taste in their mouths prompting them to stop their habit for once. Some patients would even resort to eating mints or lozenges to clear to get rid of the terrible aftertaste.  

According to skilled practitioners, approximately 7 out of 10 smokers will successfully extricate themselves from their smoking habit after 2 or 3 weeks. While the others are unable to quit totally, these smokers will be able to cut down on their cigarette consumption quite significantly.

Treatment from Acupuncture Experts

It is very essential for a patient to consult with a skilled acupuncturist. A more personalized service will be provided by an expert, as well as added counseling for the patient. Moreover, an acupuncturist may prescribe herbal supplements to aid the patient in quitting efforts.

During treatment, filiform needles are inserted into specific points on the ear cartilage, as well as the hands and wrists. Normal procedures last for about 30 minutes. Body acupuncture can be used in combination with the ear and wrist needle placements. An acupuncturist may also utilize a mild electric current, to enhance the effect of the needles through the body.

The greatest advantage of this ancient Oriental procedure is the absence of side-effects during and after treatment. Unlike smoking cessation medications and nicotine replacement therapy products, acupuncture does not employ chemically manufactured substances. There is also no risk of weight gain during therapy. In conjunction with helping a patient quit smoking, it can also curb appetite, thus reducing food cravings.

If you have tried several methods in smoking cessation to no avail, perhaps it is high time you consider the alternative method that is acupuncture. With the right practitioner and the right frame of mind, there is no reason why you won’t be nicotine-free before long.

Is Acupuncture The Remedy for You?

With the growing acceptance of alternative medicine in Western cultures, acupuncture is quickly becoming a popular practice. More and more people today are choosing acupuncture over western medicine to treat bodily pains, relieve stress, or to promote overall health. If you are thinking about trying acupuncture but are wondering if it is safe or if it’s the right treatment for you, the following information may aid you in making a more informed decision.

Description and Origin

Acupuncture is the practice of inserting fine needles into specific points in the body for therapeutic purposes. According to theory, these specific points called “acupuncture points” lie along pathways of the body along which one’s vital energy is said to flow. The needles are used to promote free-flow of energy in areas of the body that circulation may have stagnated. Although acupuncture is practiced in many Asian cultures such as Japan, Tibet, and Korea the practice is commonly known to have originated in China.

Acupuncture in the Western World

One of the most debated issues between the East and the West is the use of acupuncture as a western means of medical treatment. Even though this form of medicine has been used as an effective method for over five thousand years in China, there is no concrete evidence from scientific research studies that have proven the healing properties of acupuncture.

Skeptics shrug off the positive effects of acupuncture as merely placebo effects. Believers in acupuncture, however, say that the benefits have simply not yet been proven. Believers promote that the treatment is harmless and can be used as a complement to western medicine.

Unfortunately, standards of acupuncture have not been fully approved by the FDA due to many unregulated practices that still exist such as the re-use of needles. Furthermore, acupuncture certification today is mostly a sham, used to make money on desperate patients who have not benefited from western medical treatments. The National Council Against Health Fraud has even declared acupuncture as an unproven means of treatment whose concepts of healing are primitive and false.

Should You Try It

One thing that Western science can agree upon is that there are no proven harmful effects of acupuncture. Many doctors agree that as long as a medication is not detrimental to one's health, then there is no reason why it should not be used if there are noticeable benefits. Most scientists would also state that it is simply due to a lack of research that the therapeutic properties of acupuncture have not yet been proven.

Although many forms Chinese medication remain debated concepts in Western society, there is a growing interest in these medications and perhaps as the acceptance of the practice grows, so will the discoveries about its medical properties.

More Information on Acupuncture

You can find more information about acupuncture at an acupuncture center close to you. You can easily locate nearby centers or practitioners by searching online. An appointment may be necessary as acupuncture centers are usually busy with long wait lists.

So if western medicine is not working for you and you are looking for an alternative, give some thought acupuncture. More and more people are discovering the therapeutic benefits of this ancient medicine. Acupuncture is safe and harmless, and therefore you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

How to Look For a Good Acupuncture School

Since 1982, acupuncture has found its way to the US. There are currently 50 schools that teach it and 3,000 licensed practitioners all over the country. Do you think you can be a licensed professional? Here are a few things to help you look for a good acupuncture school.

You should now that the 50 schools mentioned are all accredited by the National Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.  It is recognized by the Department of Education and some of these schools even have a masters program.

Most of these schools can be found online so you can give them a call and ask certain questions about the school. You can find out the cost of tuition, the teacher student ratio, if the school offers consultation services to students and the alumni and if they have an extensive library which focuses on traditional Chinese medicine.

Should there be a school near where you live, you should probably take it so you don’t have to worry about boarding and lodging as this is just added cost to this long term investment.

If you like the school but cannot afford the cost of tuition, find out if they offer scholarships or if they have a grant in aid program. If there are none, then check with the federal government because they should have one and they will give it to deserving students who plan to enroll in a school accredited by the National Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.

Some states do not require you to get a license once you graduate from the program. However, if you plan to practice this elsewhere, you should prepare yourself for the state board exam as this is a requirement.

The lists of subjects you will be learning in school include anatomy, body therapy, massage therapy and the other sciences. Training will be done also in a clinical setting so you are able to put theory into practice but this will only happen in your third year.

While some schools will let you finish a program in three years, there are those that can be completed after five.

Lately, acupuncture school has also gone down the digital path by offering cyber distance programs for those who cannot go to school. Some of these offer CEU’s or continuing education units to advance programs.

These courses can be chosen on the basis of modules or on an hourly basis. The course material covers the history, theory and techniques of acupuncture. Courses that offer tools such as acupuncture DVD and video are ideal for acupuncturists or students of acupuncture to improve their clinical expertise.

Once you graduate from acupuncture school, some will open their own practice while others will first work for a clinic. Those who decide to be employed will work with other professionals that may include naturopaths, chiropractors and other specialists that are also into Oriental Medicine.

The average acupuncturist makes about $45,000 a year but this can change in the years to follow as they add years or experience under their belt. This just goes to show that if you work hard, you too will make a fortune. Just make sure that you do this properly for each patient because one mistake could make this all go away.