ACUPUNCTURE > SMOKING CESSATION

Acupuncture is a natural way to help curb the craving for nicotine when one decides to stop smoking. Acupuncture offers relief, especially in the acute phase of withdrawal when you’re wrestling with fatigue, irritability and gnawing cravings.

Acupuncture has no side effects. In fact, it is very common to notice side benefits like improvements in sleep or mood. Studies show that acupuncture promotes the brain to pump out endorphins, our feel-good hormones.

Commonly, patients undergoing acupuncture therapy for smoking cessation report fewer cravings, decreased irritability, improved mood, improved bowel movements and improved sleep.

Drink water: Research shows that dehydration causes cravings. Sip water frequently throughout  the day.Refrain from drinking coffee: Coffee causes cravings and dehydrates the body.

Get plenty of fresh fruit and vegetable juices to neutralize and clear the blood of nicotinic acid and to fortify blood sugar. Carrots, Carrot juice, celery, leafy green salads and citrus fruits promote body alkalinity and decrease cravings.

Avoid junk food and sugar. They can upset your blood sugar levels and increase blood acidity which can aggravate smoking withdrawal symptoms.Avoid drinking  alcohol: When you’re in a bar or a restaurant, try to sit next to non-smokers and try not to drink too much alcohol in order to  avoid temptation.

Avoid Temptation:

Sure there will be times when you will be tempted to smoke a cigarette and the thought will torment you. But even then, there are ways to decrease the likelihood of lighting one up. Try some of the following:

• Focus  your attention elsewhere,  even if it’s something unusual or strange.

• Focus your attention on things that are happening around you.

• Think about something that distracts you. For example, count backwards from 100 by sevens, imagine comforting  non-smoking scenes …

• Try to remember the reasons why you stopped smoking. Put them well in your mind and concentrate on them.

• Find something to occupy you  so you do not have time to smoke.

Do something to reduce your stress. Take a hot bath, try exercise or read a book.

Plan each day to do something that pleases you.

REMEMBER: Do not smoke again – not even a puff!

Do you want to be  a Non-smoker from the first session?

For smoking cessation, at Satory Acupuncture centre, a complete medical history of our patient is recorded, followed by a complete ENT examination and then the therapeutic protocol deemed appropriate for the patient is decided.  The therapeutic protocol consists of five sessions of medical acupuncture, auricular acupuncture and biological, medically approved essential oils and herbs are administered.

The only requirement before beginning your therapeutic journey is to NOT smoke for at least three hours before the first session.

Medical acupuncture is the most effective, immediate and safe, chemical-free method used worldwide to quit smoking.

The treatment is completed in four visits.
To date we have 99% success rate in smoking cessation.

Cigarettes have 4,000 chemicals, including 43 known carcinogenic compounds and 400 other toxins. According to the CDC, smoking is the cause for 443,000 premature deaths each year and is associated with emphysema, lung cancer, high blood pressure, shortness of breath, chronic cough and an increase in the frequency of colds and flu.

• Decrease the physical cravings for tobacco.
• It also lessens the symptoms of withdrawal and has a
• Generally sedative effect on the nervous system.

• Liu Z, Yang JS, Wu Y, Zhang O, Chen M, Huang LL, He XQ, Wu GY, Wang YY. Predictors for Smoking Cessation with Acupuncture in a Hong Kong Population. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015.
• Forsch Ausfeld-Hafter B, Marti F, Hoffmann S. Smoking cessation with ear acupuncture. Descriptive study on patients after a smoking cessation treatment with ear acupuncture.  Komplementarmed Klass Naturheilkd. 2004 Feb.
• White A, Taylor A. Acupuncture for smoking cessation: where now? Acupunct Med. 2014 Aug.
• McFadden DD, Chon TY, Croghan IT, Schroeder DR, Mallory MJ, Ebbert JO, Hays JT. Trial of intensive acupuncture for smoking cessation: a pilot study. Acupunct Med. 2015 Oct.

Passive smoking can occur anywhere and everywhere. By inhaling tobacco smoke, non-smokers are exposed to the same chemicals as smokers are, such as nicotine and carbon monoxide.

But what are the effects of secondhand smoke?

More than 7,000 chemicals have been identified in cigarette smoke and 250 are considered dangerous, with 69 of them being carcinogenic. Therefore, secondhand smoke can cause cancer.

But in addition to its carcinogens, secondhand smoke can cause many other diseases, such as:

• Lung cancer

Living with a smoker and inhaling his smoke can increase the risk of developing lung cancer by 20-30%.

• Heart disease

Inhalation of smoke can damage the cardiovascular system and increase the chances of heart attack, especially in those who already have a heart disease. Non-smokers exposed to other people’s tobacco are 25-30% more likely to develop heart disease.

• Consequences for children

It has been observed that children exposed to cigarette smoke are more likely to develop ear infections and fluid accumulation in their ears.

For children with asthma, even the slightest exposure to cigarette smoke can cause an asthma attack.

Children also have an increased rate of respiratory tract infections when exposed to second-hand smoke.

So make your GOAL. Quit smoking for you and your loved ones!

Second-hand smoke is a serious health risk for both those who smoke and those who do not. Children are particularly at risk of serious health effects from second-hand smoke. The best way to protect loved ones is to quit smoking. 

Environmental cigarette smoke is classified as a first category carcinogenic substance, ie it is considered a substance that causes cancer regardless of the amount that has been absorbed. 

Risks of passive smoking:

• Second-hand smoke has been confirmed as a cause of lung cancer in humans by several leading health authorities.
• Passive smoking increases the risk of respiratory illnesses in children, including asthma, bronchitis and pneumonia.
• Pregnant women exposed to passive smoke are more prone to premature birth and their baby is more at risk of low birth-weight and cot death.
• Passive smoking increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Non smoker from the first session.

Medical acupuncture is the most effective, immediate and safe, chemical-free method used worldwide to stop smoking. The heavier the smoker, the easier it is to quit.

All you need to do is decide to QUIT!

The therapeutic protocol for smoking cessation consists of a 5-session personalized, medical acupuncture, therapeutic protocol. The protocol is personalized depending on the patients medical history. The therapy includes holistic medical acupuncture, auricular acupuncture in combination with specific medical essential oils. The treatment is completed in eight days.

What is the effect of medical acupuncture when we want to quit smoking?
1) NO need of nicotine or other chemicals
2) NO deprivation syndrome
3) Smoke begins to smell BAD and irritate the nose
4) NO anxiety or stress
5) Does not gain weight
6) from the first session a non-smoker

Painless, relaxing therapeutic protocol with no unpleasant symptoms.

A smoker is ready to QUIT smoking when:

a) He/She feels an inner desire for this change,

b) He/She feels threatened by the harm that smoking causes to them and their loved ones,

c) He/She feels that this detoxification will bring significant benefits to him/her.

d) Realizes the danger related to smoking

e) Has health-related issues due to smoking  

Statistical studies show a 90-95% success rate in smoking cessation with acupuncture therapy.

What are the effects of acupuncture on the smoker?

• There are NO withdrawal symptoms
• No anxiety or irritability
• No increase in Appetite
• Smell of smoke may be intolerable

Acupuncture urges the brain to produce the hormones and neurochemicals that will replace the euphoric, antidepressant and tonic effect of nicotine, immediately, thus the patient will feel strong, happy and proud of their achievement.

It has been proved and demonstrated in the literature that less than five cigarettes a day are enough to cause lung damage! According to a recent US scientific study, ex-smokers can have visible lung damage even three decades after quitting.
Researchers at the Columbia University College of Medicine, in New York, published a study in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal, which examined more than 25,000 people, both smokers and non-smokers and noted that:

• The same lung function has been found to deteriorate in the time span of one year, in  “light” smokers (5 cigarettes a day), as a heavy smoker would lose in nine months.
• The study also revealed that damage to lung function does not heal after a few years of smoking cessation. That is, they found that it takes at least 30 years to equalize the rate of reduced lung function of ex-smokers with that of non-smokers.

The final findings of this research prove, once again, the harmful effects of smoking and that everyone should be seriously encouraged to quit smoking, no matter how many cigarettes they smoke a day.