Acupuncture Smoking Cessation Program
WHO?
ANYONE who wants to increase their chance of successfully living dependence-free
WHEN?
July 2010--Monday thru Friday, 7-8 PM
Groups of 5 scheduling together--ANYTIME!
If you would like a morning session, please email your available times and I will try to get a morning group started!
HOW OFTEN?
Phase 1: Everyday for the first 7-14 days after quitting (recommended)
Phase 2: 2-3 times per week for the next 1-2 weeks (depends on individual)
Phase 3: 1/week or as needed for continued support (depends on individual)
WHERE?
New Leaf Acupuncture in Egg Harbor
7775 Highway 42, Above Sommer Stad
HOW MUCH?
Affordable! The cost is equivalent to 1-2 packs per session.
$15/session--July Special 10 session/$100*
*For 10 sessions booked and paid in advance, completed by July 31, 2010.
HOW DO I ENROLL?
Call or Email New Leaf Acupuncture
HOW ABOUT MORE INFO?
With the known affects that smoking has, not only on the human body but the world around it, many individuals that are addicted to nicotine still find it incredibly hard to quit. Many patients will have already been through numerous amounts of patches, gum, and counseling in order to quit, with no avail. Auricular Acupuncture, stemming from thousands of years of Chinese Acupuncture and half a century of European medical research, innovation and practice just may be the answer that smokers are looking for.
Auricular Acupuncture (Ear Acupuncture) is used with good success at thousands of sites nation-wide to help people stop smoking, and is useful in treating the full range of addictions and addictive behavior. Acupuncture works to adjust cravings by balancing your body's brain chemistry and is also useful to help heal the damage caused by smoking. Among the benefits reported by patients and clinicians are:
- improved program retention
- a more optimistic attitude toward the process of recovery
- reductions in cravings
- reduced anxiety
- reduced sleep disturbance
- reduced need for pharmaceuticals
The detoxification protocols, in contrast with much of Chinese medicine, involve no diagnosis and are usually not modified in any way. Generally speaking, the protocol is administered on its own without the addition of other ear or body acupuncture points. The length of the treatment depends but in general, the needles are left in for 20 - 60 minutes. Ordinarily, groups of patients sit together while undergoing the treatment. The procedure functions as an adjunct to a comprehensive addiction treatment program offering the basic therapeutic elements of counseling, education, family involvement, mutual support group involvement, and supportive health care of a general nature.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
There are many theories about how acupuncture works, however, auricular acupuncture is an exception - its' effectiveness is known and well researched. When the auricle is stimulated with a needle, the body will release endorphins (natural pain relieving biochemicals).
Endorphins are secreted by the pituitary gland and certain parts of the central nervous system (CNS). Auricular Acupuncture has been shown to influence the blood serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of endorphins.
When an individual is addicted to nicotine (via tobacco smoke) they will naturally have higher endorphin levels. So, why then does Auricular Acupuncture, which induces endorphin release work?
For two reasons, one when an individual makes the step to give up smoking the endorphins within their CNS will naturally drop and will need to be maintained. And two, Auricular Acupuncture doesn't increase the levels of endorphins, it merely stabilises the rate of release. In this way, patients that have quit, and need help with withdrawal can be treated, and patients that need help in actually putting down the cigarette can be treated.
The other factors involved in Auricular Acupuncture are those associated with a sense of calmness and relaxation. This happens because of the release of the before mentioned endorphins and stimulation produced analgesia. This analgesic effect of Auricular Acupuncture occurs due to activity produced via reflex stimulation within the periaqueductal gray (PAG), hypothalamus, thalamus, and somatosensory and prefrontal cortex. This allows the withdrawal symptoms or anxiety, restlessness, stress, and other physical cravings to be successfully treated.
I'VE HEARD THIS DOESN'T WORK...
The truth is that there are no methods for smoking cessation that are universally effective, and long term success rates are low across the board. Acupuncture has not been shown as more--or less--effective than other methods.
Smoking cessation can be very difficult due to the addictive qualities of nicotine. While it is estimated that 70% of smokers want to stop, and 34% try to stop each year, only 2.5% succeed. Popular pharmaceutical aids for smoking cessation include nicotine patches, gum, and antidepressant medication such as bupropion hydrochloride. The highest success rates for smoking cessation are seen with a combination of pharmaceutical support and behavioral counseling, yet cessation rates at one year after completion of a program are still only 20-25%. [2]
Because of these limited success rates, along with contraindications and side effects of pharmaceutical products, there has been a growing interest in using CAM therapies, such as acupuncture, to facilitate smoking cessation.
A number of studies have investigated the efficacy of acupuncture for smoking cessation. White and colleagues [3], [4] conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials that evaluated whether active acupuncture is superior to sham acupuncture for smoking cessation. Their study identified 14 randomized controlled trials that included a total of 3486 patients. Based on these studies, they concluded that there is little evidence to support the hypothesis that active acupuncture is superior to sham acupuncture in facilitating smoking cessation. The authors also systematically evaluated the quality of each trialís design and judged their overall quality to be poor. The majority of the studies they evaluated had significant methodological flaws, including inadequate sample sizes, poor randomization schemes, poor acupuncture protocols often administered by inexperienced acupuncturists, and questionable sham controls, among other limitations.
A recent study by Bier and colleagues [5] was based on a rigorous design that addressed a number of the methodological concerns raised by White and colleagues. They designed and conducted a randomized, quasi-factorial design to examine the efficacy of auricular acupuncture and education on smoking cessation. Treatments included true acupuncture + education, sham acupuncture + education, and true acupuncture alone. They found that all three groups showed significant reductions in smoking and post-treatment cigarette consumption; however, the true acupuncture + education group showed the highest cessation rates (40%), which were maintained at 18 months post-treatment. Further well designed studies are needed to better determine the efficacy of acupuncture as part of a comprehensive program for smoking cessation.
Quitting is a long term challenge for everyone. Everyone is different, and must figure out which strategies work best for their own lifestyle. New Leaf Acupuncture is here to offer physical and moral support to smokers in the Door County community looking for an affordable, natural option.
To enroll, or for more info:
Contact New Leaf Acupuncture