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Resolution Quit Smoking
Cancer sticks. Coffin nails. Cigarettes. Youve heard all the nasty nicknames and the inspiration behind them. You know you should quit for your health and for your overall well-being. But you just cant resist the familiar pick-me-up of a drag on a cigarette.
Quitting smoking is notoriously difficult, and many smokers may just need a helping hand. When you do decide to quit, there are lesser-known alternatives to the popular patch, nicotine gum or medication. Although sheer willpower is the mainstay of almost all methods for quitting smoking, non-medicinal therapies can also be a useful companion in a personal battle with nicotine.
Treatments consist of a number of needles carefully placed in certain points of the body to help fight the craving, or the addiction. For about 10 minutes the patient will relax on the table. While needles and comfort may not go hand in hand for some people, for these patients, they are close friends. Most acupuncturists use ancient Chinese acupuncture principles to help smokers curb their cravings.
These same treatment principles can also be used to help with weight loss and drug addiction. The average treatment costs about $50 per session and may be covered by insurance, depending on the policy.
The ears are the focal point of the treatment. According to acupuncture theory, the ear is embryonic in nature and heavily connected with the spinal cord and the central nervous system. On the ear alone, there are over a hundred “acupoints” which, when stimulated, correlate to various parts and systems of the body. Acupuncturists use tubes to place needles the width of two human hairs in specific points on the ear.
Once the patient is accustomed to the needles, a small bar may be placed on the ear called an acu-tack. The patient wears the tack until their next visit with the instructions to press it whenever they feel the urge to light up.
Many patients are skeptical about the treatment when they come in, but leave pleased with the results. Physician acupuncturists point out that they dont heal the patient, they merely “diminish the cravings” and with a
