Smoking

Acupuncture helps quitting smoking in 4 ways.
1. by increasing will power;
2. by reducing the cravings,
3. by relieving the withdrawal symptoms,
4. by detoxifying the body.

Acupuncture treatment in helping drug/substance abuse or addition has been proven effective and recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO). Reported by Alive Magazine, a study found that twice as many smokers managed to quit the habit when they received acupuncture along with their counseling as part of an anti-smoking program. Acupuncture is certainly a reasonable alternative that has helped many people quit smoking, however, it doesn’t work for everyone. As for you, there is only one way to find out…

From our experience, an average of 8 – 12 sessions can help most of the smokers quit smoking or greatly reduce the amount of cigarettes. Yet, we do experience smokers quit smoking after 3 sessions of acupuncture. We also saw few smokers have difficulty quit smoking after 12 sessions of treatment.

Each individual will receive needles according to their underlying conditions, such as withdrawal symptoms and body’s constitution. Most of the acupuncture points don’t hurt. Patients will have a mosquito bite feeling instead. There are some points tend to hurt more than the others. We would do it carefully to avoid the discomforts.

Studies of addictions show that addictive behavior is not just an isolated behavior. Having a cigarette becomes intertwined with other personal ways of responding to life. The smoker will often say that a cup of coffee, a big meal, emotional stress, a beer or a lonely moment-any number of cues-will prompt a desire for a cigarette. In this case, it is not easy, but possible, to quit smoking without help.

Two books here are recommended if you want to quit smoking by yourself:

1. Hooked but not Helpless, Kicking Nicotine Addiction by Patricia Allison.
2. Overcoming Addictions by Deepak Chopra, MD.

• Avoid having cigarettes too readily available. A new strategy is to crumple up your pack of cigarettes.
• Plan to reward yourself with something special after the first week, first month, and every month smoke-free.
• Stop any behavior that you know triggers an increased desire to smoke, like drinking coffee.
• Start to limit times, places, and people with whom you are willing to smoke. Avoid situations where everyone smokes.
• Listen to music or play an instrument.
• Take up yoga or karate.
• Get into a vigorous aerobic conditioning program. (With appropriate health precautions.)
• Spend more time with ex-smokers.
• Slow down and enjoy your meals more.
• Take a trip to a flower store and enjoy smelling.
• Learn and practice an effective relaxation response technique twice a day.
• Make a list of things you’ll do or say to yourself the next time you have an urge for a cigarette.
• Call a friend everyday and talk about how thankful you are to have gone another day without a smoke. If you do have a setback, call at least two friends/supporters and let them know of your setback but also that you are going to keep trying.
• Put up signs with encouraging thoughts in places like your refrigerator, your bedroom, your car, your bathroom mirror, etc.
• Daily visualize yourself as a non-smoker.

We charge $85 per acupuncture session. There is a $45 initial consultation fee in addition to the treatment fee. All fees above are subject to change without notice. Please call 403-233-0498 for current rate.

Alberta Health Care does not cover acupuncture. However, most company benefits cover acupuncture when treatment is provided through a Registered Acupuncturist. You may contact human resources department or the insurance company for the details, including the coverage amount for each session, and a year, what the cut off day of the year is, if a medical referral is required etc..

Congratulations, my friend, for keeping reading this material down here. I’m delighted that you’ve made the decision to quit smoking. As many of you know first hand, tobacco is the most addictive drug in the world — even more addictive than heroin — and it’s also the most preventable cause of major illnesses. Call 403-233-0498 to get a consultation first.