Acupuncture to Quit Smoking Essay

Smoking is a strong addiction. Despite the facts of unpleasant effects of smoking, smokers continue to smoke because the main chemical in tobacco known as the nicotine is very addictive. Nicotine is such a powerful drug that a single drop of pure nicotine can cause a respiratory failure, paralysis, and even death. 

Quitting smoking is not an easy task and you will need support to be successful. You need the best tools to help with emotional and physical symptoms, and acupuncture is the best resource to help you succeed. 

Acupuncture is effective with smoking cessation and has turned many cigarette smokers into exsmokers. Treatments consider all of your symptoms and target at balancing the energy within the body to recover health. 

The acupuncture treatments are aimed at jitters, irritability, cravings, and restlessness, all those symptoms that people complain about when they quit. It also helps in detoxification and relaxation. Studies indicate that acupuncture greatly reduces the desire to smoke up to five years after the first complete treatment.

The needles used in acupuncture treatments are thin like hair. They are externally injected into different points in the body and ears to help with smoking cessation. In the middle of treatments, small sized pellets are frequently taped to the different acupuncture points on the ear. When a cigarette desire hits, softly pressing on the pellets empowers the acupuncture points to ease the mind and remove the craving of smoking. 

Acupuncture is not a magic cure or a panacea in the treatment of smoking. But, acupuncture is very effective in making it less difficult to quit and become a nonsmoker for good. 

What points are used in Acupuncture? 

Every patient is treated differently according to his or her unique and definite diagnosis. Mostly a combination of points on the ear and body acupuncture points are used that are believed to effect the organs and aggressive pathways connected with smoking. 

Ear Points 

Different Ear Points are kidney, upper and lower lung, hunger or mouth, and sympathetic.

Body Points 

Tim Mee is an additional meridian point found on the wrist between Lieque and Yangxi, a definite point to quit smoking. 

The Four Gate Points are used to circulate the energy all through the body and calm the sensory system. 

Usually, treatments last from five minutes to thirty minutes, with the person being treated couple of times each week. After the removal of needles, silver pellets or ear press needles are mostly applied to stimulate the points between treatments and remove cravings. 

How many treatments needed? 

The number, length and frequency of treatments are different. Most treatments last from five to 30 minutes, with the patient being treated a couple times every week. Some symptoms are reduced after the initial treatment, while more chronic or severe ailments usually require multiple treatments. 

A stop smoking program normally consists of 4 to 6 initial treatments scheduled in the first couple of weeks followed by monthly treatments for about four to six months.