Why acupuncture? "The believing we do something when we do nothing is the first illusion of tobacco.
" Ralph Waldo Emerson said this, and he was absolutely right! Nonetheless, the truth of his statement might do little to persuade you to quit smoking, even if you want to.
And what does inspire you to quit? It might be the onset of disease, the birth of a child, or the mere knowledge that your habit is simply wasteful, destructive, and costly.
Whatever your reason is, it's probably a good one, and hopefully only the beginning of what should really be a long list of reasons to quit.
More than likely your friends and family will support you in this endeavour.
If they don't, be strong: it's the right thing to do.
But is even a long list of reasons to quit enough? Quite often, no.
Most people who try to quit smoking make more than one attempt, often going 'cold turkey' and trying to do it on their own.
Does that sound a little bit like you? Certainly doing it on your own is a possibility (I'm not doubting you), but as with anything in life it's nice to have a helping hand.
Acupuncture can help manage your withdrawal symptoms like irritability, low energy, trouble sleeping, and flu-like symptoms such as a dry throat and coughing.
Acupuncture can also help to reduce your cravings.
How does acupuncture work? Using very thin, sterile needles, acupuncture stimulates points on your body where it is believed that energy gathers.
By stimulating the correct combinations of these points, you will achieve your desired result, e.
g.
reducing cravings or managing nicotine withdrawal.
Where will the acupuncture needles go? Each person's energy pattern is unique, and so the combination of points we use for you will be somewhat unique.
However, with quitting smoking there are certain points on the body that help as adjuncts to your own personal point prescription.
These points include one on the radial side of your wrist, as well as some points on your ear that are stimulated with seeds.
Ear seeds are small seeds from the Vaccaria plant, and are held in place on your ear with adhesive tape, which sticks for a few days so that the points can be regularly stimulated.
Diagnostically speaking, your acupuncturist determines if your pattern is one of deficiency or excess, and from there is able to choose further points with which to treat you.