There are 12 meridians that circulate qi
Acupuncture is more than 5,000 years old and based on the concept of regulating "qi" or the flow of energy via 12 meridians, which are also associated with particular organs. A trained acupuncturist inserts needles into several of 1,000 sites along those energy lines, strengthening the smoker's vital organs and functioning.
Wing-Benn Deng, PhD, likens pollution in the air to smoking where "the body cells and internal organs are constantly living in a polluted environment." Acupuncture returns the body to a healthy state, which naturally rejects the smell of cigarettes and the urge to smoke.
Though acupuncture can influence cravings, the individual must adjust his habits and lifestyle. Quitting may also require support from friends and family, as well as nutritional changes. Reducing sugar and caffeine intake is important, as is increasing the amount of water and vegetables consumed.
Acupuncture can be used to treat a number of ailments.
Leah Martino, OMD, L.Ac., a practitioner with more than 12 years of experience, has developed a program that has proved successful with many of her patients.
The patient should not smoke on the first day of treatment, she said. If the smoker can stop for the first 24 hours, her success is 90 percent guaranteed, Martino wrote on Acupuncture.com. The first week, she schedules two appointments two days apart. She inserts needles in both the ears and the body to support the lungs, kidneys and other organs. The treatment calms the patient's nerves, and reduces appetite, cravings and the impulse to reach for a cigarette.
Martino's next two acupuncture sessions are one week apart. Acupuncture intercepts the brain's signals to the body demanding nicotine. Cravings should reduce from 20 to three or four a day, she wrote. The smoker must still exercise will power, however, to resist those temptations. Herbs can also lend support to the process.
The San Francisco Natural Medicine clinic underscores the importance of the initial analysis that identifies the personal habits and triggers that can lead the smoker to reach for a cigarette. It recommends five sessions over the course of a month for effective cessation of smoking.
Acupuncture can be used as an aid to quit smoking, reducing cravings and the effects of detoxification, but the smoker must also be highly motivated to give up the habit. In a series of 30-minute sessions, needles are inserted into the body at pressure points, improving energy flow and balance.
