In 2012 researchers in Canada have confirmed that acupuncture and hypnotherapy are beneficial treatments in the quest to help people give up smoking. A prescription medicine Varenicline, which goes under the brand name of Chantix has been used to help people give up smoking. Chantix however, has been proven to be extremely dangerous. Chantix causes severe psychiatric disorders and the FDA has ordered a special label warning to be put on all boxes.
The warning reads “This medicine [Chantix] has a risk of serious mental health events including changes in behavior, depressed mood, hostility, and suicidal thoughts.”
Amazingly, the medicine Chantix is still allowed to be sold on the market and doctors still prescribe it.
Other doctors prescribe Zyban which in turn has the side effects of dry mouth, headache, insomnia, nausea, constipation and even seizures. And the success rate of these drugs actually helping the smoker to stop smoking is very low.
Nicorette gum also has its share of problems and should not be used if the patient has had a heart attack or stroke, diabetes, peptic ulcer, gastritis, hyperthyroidism, decreased kidney function, decreased liver function and inflammation of the throat or mouth. Some people also get addicted to Nicorette gum itself.
The common withdrawal symptoms associated with stopping smoking include irritability, headaches, difficult concentration, tiredness, restlessness and insomnia.
In the year 1660, a Chinese Emperor Chong Zhen banned tobacco smoking because of the bad effects on health of his subjects. Chinese herbal physicians around this time had already documented that tobacco smoking caused lung disease and damaged the circulatory system. It took modern western medicine another 400 years before they “discovered” that smoking damaged the circulatory system. Even as late as the 1930’s, medical doctors actually prescribed smoking as a treatment for women who suffered from anxiety. It’s hard to imagine that modern medical text books actually recommended smoking to treat various health conditions only 70 years ago.
When someone decides to stop smoking, the body is subjected to stress which causes withdrawal symptoms. In Traditional Chinese Medicine terms, the energy of the liver becomes stuck and spleen energy becomes deficient in trying to deal with the withdrawal symptoms of stopping smoking. Liver problems lead to irritability and spleen problems can cause concentration difficulties and acupuncture has been historically used to address these symptoms.
Acupuncture is recommended once a day for 3 days when the patient has truly decided to give up cigarettes. If the patient is coming along for acupuncture because their partner wants them to give up cigarettes, results will not be anywhere near as effective.
I also recommend hypnosis to help you stop smoking and can recommend the Paul McKenna Quit Smoking Now Book/CD package as a lead up before starting acupuncture.
