How To Use Acupuncture To Stop Smoking

Every year, the number of people who make the decision to quit smoking increases. Some choose to quit because smoking costs them too much money. Others quit due to concern over their health. Regardless of their initial motivation, many of these would be quitters soon realize that quitting smoking is not as easy as they thought. Smoking is an addiction, and like giving up any other addiction, quitting is a difficult task. Even popular methods like a medication or the patch may fail or become too expensive. A viable alternative treatment for the smoker trying hard to quit is acupuncture to stop smoking.

Acupuncture, an ancient remedy, is now used as a new, popular method to quit smoking. Though it does take time, acupuncture helps people quit smoking by helping them overcome their cravings and other withdrawal symptoms. By treating specific symptoms and consulting with individual patients, acupuncturists are able to help quitters bring balance to their bodies. Many acupuncturists perform a physical exam on their patients in order to better understand the situation and develop an appropriate plan of action.

Acupuncturists can help people who want to stop smoking but the number of treatments and frequency of the treatments will depend on the individual diagnosis. Most smoking cessation treatments last between fifteen minutes to a half an hour and a majority of patients visit an acupuncturist once or twice each week. Patients who seek the help of an acupuncturist to stop smoking will receive about four to six 30-minute treatments during the first few weeks. The number of treatments varies, but one or two per week are generally recommended. As symptoms of nicotine withdrawal decrease, patients need only attend one session per month.

Acupuncturists normally concentrate on different points of the patients' body. The shen men point is a key focus for acupuncturists because it reduces stress. They also concentrate on the kidney to increase self-discipline and the master point zero to encourage homeostasis. Focusing on the lungs relieves nicotine withdrawal symptoms. An acupuncture point on the wrist called the tim mee and the four gate points may be instrumental in helping smokers quit by relaxing the nerves.

Acupuncturists sometimes recommend herbal preparations and supplements together with their acupuncture treatments to alleviate withdrawal symptoms. For example, it's quite common for acupuncturists to have their patients drink green tea during the detox period to prevent the body from craving cigarettes. Some acupuncturists feel that certain tonics are helpful in lubricating the lungs and mouth to decrease craving.

Other acupuncturists recommend tonics to moisten the lungs and mouth, thus preventing cravings, as well as herbal preparations in order to relieve anxiety and irritability.

During withdrawal, smokers are encouraged to exercise and rid their body of toxins by eating fresh fruit, vegetable juices, and clear soups. Patients are also recommended to eat carrots, celery, oranges and other citrus fruits, as well as leafy greens. It is important to avoid sugar, including chocolate, coffee, and other junk foods.

Smokers should drink a lot of water, practice breathing properly, do daily exercises. Developing a strong support system to help them quit smoking is a good idea as well as having a plan in place to help them fight cravings. For example, when they crave a cigarette, smokers should instead call a friend or take a walk to shift their focus.

Are you searching for an effective method to stop smoking? There are a ton of products and systems that claim to be the best at showing you how quit smoking but how do you know which ones are for real? Visit the How To Quit Smoking website at http://www.howquitsmoking.com to learn more about the most effective ways to get that monkey off your back.