If you have tried to kick your smoking using every conventional means to do so but failed, then you might want to consider acupuncture. For, some individuals, this treatment works. Even if you have a fierce desire to quit, stopping your smoking habit may really be very hard to accomplish. Smokers may still find it hard to break the habit after more than three attempts using various treatment programs.
Before we see how acupuncture works to help a person get rid of his/her smoking habit, we first need to understand what acupuncture is all about.
Acupuncture
As most of you are aware of, acupuncture is a type of medical procedure developed in China thousands of years ago involving the use of ultra thin needles inserted at certain parts of a person’s body in order to treat various kinds of illnesses. In Western societies, acupuncture is commonly used to relieve physical pain. Past and ongoing studies show that acupuncture can also help a person quit smoking.
For thousands of years and up to today, the traditional form of acupuncture in Spokane is being utilized by acupuncturists. The traditional form of acupuncture uses needles inserted at points in the body where pathways of energy known as meridians lie. These meridians are invisible to the naked eye and they are connected to the major organ systems of the body such as the kidney, liver, spleen, heart, etc. The meridians are where vital or life energy (called qi) travels and this energy helps keep the body energized and healthy when it is flowing freely. When qi flow slows down/stagnates due to blockages that have developed in the meridian, sickness occurs. To restore the normal flow of qi and bring back balance to the body, acupuncture is used. The needles stimulate the meridians to release certain neurotransmitters in the body to help the body heal itself and relieve pain. They also help improve the flow of qi and blood and help clear the obstructions/blockages enabling qi and blood to freely flow once more.
Tobacco Smoking and Acupuncture
Acupuncture to help a person stop smoking is not really seen as a cure for tobacco addiction. It is not something that will automatically stop you from smoking. It is a way that helps facilitate the process of ridding the person’s addiction to tobacco making him/her able to control the addiction making it easier for that person to quit. Acupuncture is thought of as a means for an individual to neutralize his irritability and cravings during the process of quitting.
Traditional acupuncture again utilizes needles in the treatment of tobacco addiction. These needles are inserted in acupoints located in the ear. This type of acupuncture is known as auriculotherapy, also called ear acupuncture or auricular acupuncture. Underneath these acupoints lie the meridians that require stimulation to treat illnesses and addictions. The needles stimulate the meridians that are known to affect the organs related to the smoking addiction. Usually, for smokers, the affected acupoints are located in the throat and the lungs. Sometimes, self-acupuncture using ear pellets are recommended after an acupuncture treatment session to lengthen the effect of the treatment.
Practitioners and Programs
A lot of acupuncturists think that acupuncture therapy needs to be customized based on the patient’s details and smoking history. Even with the same smoking habit, each patient may get a different type of treatment. So in order to develop an effective treatment for you, your acupuncturist program needs to study your smoking history thoroughly.
What the Studies Show
Studies done with respect to acupuncture’s effectiveness in treating tobacco addiction are inconclusive. There are studies that show that acupuncture does work in helping smokers quit smoking while other studies reveal that both real and sham produce the same effects on smokers. There is also a possibility that acupuncture does not work for certain people is due to the weak commitment or lack of it from these people to quit their habit. As they stands these results mean that more research is needed to see if acupuncture for smoking cessation can be scientifically proven to work.
Dangers of Acupuncture
In order to prevent the potential dangers of acupuncture, you need to makes sure that the acupuncturist you are consulting with is qualified and licensed to perform it. Under a qualified and licensed practitioner, the insertion should not generate pain. Infections, physical injuries, organ punctures and bleeding are tell-tale signs that you’re acupuncturist is not really good at what he/she is doing.
An Alternative to Needles
These days, more modern and needle-less types of meridian stimulation are offered. One such treatment known as Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is used to unblock obstructed meridians without the need for needles. This technique works tapping the acupoints on the body which releases the qi and enables one to treat his/her craving for tobacco and cease smoking.