Here at The Yinova Center we often hear from people who are trying to give up smoking. We understand that quitting smoking can be really tough and we want to support you in whatever way we can.
So can acupuncture help? The answer according to clinical research is mixed. This study compared acupuncture to sham acupuncture in a group of smokers who wanted to quit and found that acupuncture increased the likelihood they would be successful. Some other research studies were less conclusive.
The mixed results in clinical trials reflect our experience here at The Yinova Center. Many, but not all, of our patients, find acupuncture very helpful in that it gives them the extra boost they need to finally kick the habit once and for all. They find it takes the edge off their nicotine cravings and gives them enough support to resist temptation. Other patients enjoy their relaxing treatment but find it isn’t enough on its own to stop them from smoking. I always tell my patients that when it comes to stopping smoking, acupuncture can be supportive but it isn’t the whole story. It can help you with cravings but it won’t replace will power.
So if you’ve made up your mind to stop smoking and want some extra support we’d love to see you here at the Yinova Center. We have found that 2 treatments a week for three weeks seems to work best. We focus on points that calm cravings as well as those that calm anxiety. We also address any symptoms that come up. For example, many smokers who quit to protect their lungs are disappointed to find that initially they develop a cough as their lungs expel years of accumulated gunk.
Here is the advice we give our Yinova patients who come to us for help as they give up cigarettes:-
- We love these people who run a 1/2 day stop smoking course in New York City and all over the world. Founded in the UK they use a combination of cognitive and behavioral therapy and hypnosis and have great success rates. They also have an online course that many of our patients have found really helpful.
- From the same people comes a book, The Easy Way to Stop Smoking: Join the Millions Who Have Become Non-Smokers Using Allen Carr’s Easyway Method
. Both Ashton Kutcher and Ellen DeGeneres claim to have quit smoking having read the book. One of my patients skimmed through the book standing up in Barnes and Noble and quit there and then! - In our experience, the best way to quit is cold turkey. Patients who try to cut down their cigarette consumption usually find that it creeps up again.
- Quitting to make someone else happy almost never works. You need to find a reason to do this for you. Talk to us and let us help you get in touch with all the reasons why you are worth taking care of.
- Note that cravings last only a few minutes so ignoring them uses less will power than you think. Distract yourself for a couple of minutes and you should feel much better. We asked some of our patients what they did when they were experiencing a craving and here are some of their suggestions. Chew gum, eat a carrot, light a candle, focus on taking 10 full breaths, wash your hands, or have a shower.
- The worst cravings only last a week. Take it one day at a time and know that by the time you have reached day 7 you are over the worst.
- Many of our patients have found that drinking alcohol weakens their resolve. In fact, in studies, 50% of relapse is related to alcohol use. It’s best to avoid situations where you are drinking and other people are smoking, especially for the first few weeks.
- Find ways to calm your mind. Take up yoga, adopt a regular meditation practice, have an acupuncture treatment, or go for a run.
- Don’t skip meals. When you were smoking you may have replaced a meal with a cigarette. It allowed you to avoid the feelings associated with low blood sugar. Now if you miss a meal you may feel irritable and unable to concentrate and your mind may trick you into having a cigarette to make you feel better.
- Convince yourself that there is no excuse for relapse. Nicotine never makes anything any better so no matter what life throws at you don’t use it as an excuse to start smoking again.
- Acupuncture, whilst not replacing your own will power, can help you manage cravings so feel free to come in and see us for a course of 6 treatments.
- If you do slip up and have a cigarette, simply start again. Don’t beat yourself up or decide it’s impossible. Just get back on track. Many of our patients who have successfully given up smoking made several attempts before they finally quit for good.
Good luck!
