Acupuncture and Smoking Cessation

Quitting Smoking with Acupuncture

Acupuncture as an approach to smoking cessation has continuously growing support. In some states, acupuncture is a court-mandated treatment for addicts due to the recognized benefits of how acupuncture can help alleviate withdrawal symptoms and curb cravings. Of course, acupuncture is not a magic bullet in the treatment of addiction, but if you're motivated to stop a habit, acupuncture can make it easier to quit. But if you have tried a number of methods like nicotine patches and nicotine gum and they have not been effective, maybe this is the solution for you. But if you haven't and the first solution that came to mind was Acupuncture, maybe it is worth trying other methods of quitting. For someone who has recently made this decision, this method should be your last resort. Of course just because something works for someone else doesn't mean it will have the same effect, but you never know if you don't try. Why not check out sites like https://www.gourmeteliquid.co.uk, where you may be able to find an easier way of quitting. It is definitely worth a try, especially if leading a healthier lifestyle is your main goal. No matter where you are in the world, when it comes to smoking, I'm sure you'll be able to find an effective solution. From using vaping devices, or vaporisateur as they'd say in France, to even trying non nicotine medication and seeking support, the more you look into it, the more likely you are to find an answer to quitting smoking. Just don't give up, especially as you are intending to make a positive change in your life. Everything comes with time.When it comes to Acupuncture, treatments focus on everything from withdrawal symptoms (jitters, irritability, unpredictable emotions, insomnia, fatigue, and restlessness) to helping you stay grounded through triggering events or periods of high stress.

What Acupuncture Points Are Used?

Most often, a combination of body points and ear points are used, though in some cases, it's possible to bypass the personalized approach and use the "NADA protocol." The NADA protocol consists of five points in the ear. In the illustration below, from the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association UK, the white dots imply that these points are "under" or "deep" to the part of the ear that are shown in this picture.NADA Protocol Ear Points:

• Shen Men ("Doorway to the Spirit"): good for stress, anxiety, "hypersensitivity"
• Kidney
• Sympathetic: helps access the parasympathetic nervous system ("rest and digest")
• Upper Lung
• Liver

Common body points:

• Tian Mei: an extra-meridian point located on the wrist between LU-7 (Lieque) and LI-5 (Yangxi), a specific point to quit smoking.
• Four Gates: (Large Intestine 4 and Liver 3), used to circulate qi throughout the body and calm the nervous system.

Typical treatments last about 30-40 minutes, with the patient being treated 1-3 times a week for the first month of smoking cessation. Most patients wean from such frequent treatments once they begin feeling more grounded and able to stay the course, and will come for "tuneups" when necessary.

The NADA Protocol: My Experience at Wildwood Community Acupuncture

The NADA protocol was initially used to aid relaxation and well-being for people suffering with substance misuse problems, and/or in recovery. I use it for these purposes every day in the community clinic.The NADA protocol can also be used for many other areas of treatment. I find it extraordinarily helpful for general stress and anxiety management. It's also helpful for trauma recovery, PTSD, pain management, and for ameliorating side effects from drug treatment in cancer. 5NP (standing for 5 Needle Protocol) is one of the most frequently requested treatments. My patients LOVE IT. (And for the record, so do I.)Practitioners of all stripes understand that pain, stress, anxiety, and depression are some of the most common and costly complaints in the world of medicine. One of the reasons the NADA protocol has received global recognition as an effective treatment for these costly complaints is due to this simple fact: The NADA protocal has calming effect on the central nervous system.

Disrupting the Stress Response

"Interruption" of the stress response is one thing acupuncture does best. What does that mean? Well, simply put, it's easy to get caught up in the vicious cycle of stress, which can include disrupted sleep/digestion/mood/energy. We know that if we can't break the cycle of stress, our health declines. We need moments of rest and rehabilitation in order to recover and stay well, but sadly, we live in a world that make that difficult, and even tries to make it impossible for some. If you're unsure about what I mean by this, please see here or here or here or here.)From a physiological perspective, consider that one major effect of the stress response is elevated levels of glucocorticoids (like cortisol). The parts of the brain most susceptible to the stress response are the areas loaded with high-concentrations of glucocorticoid receptors; these very same regions are involved with common mood imbalances, like anxiety and depression. Acupuncture can help re-calibrate the primary central nervous system - in other words, for many it acts as a physical, mental, and spiritual "reset" button.

Resources

Christian Nix, and acupuncturist and a tireless advocate of Hospital Based Acupuncture (his Community Pain and Stress Center is the first private model of community-style practice to be integrated into a major hospital system), often writes about acupuncture from a biomedical perspective. Much of this blog post has been inspired by his writings and his collection of research. If you'd like to see a list of the research that's been done on acupuncture and the stress response, please see his excellent article in Acupuncture Today, which can be found here.