It's never too late to quit smoking—or to quit
again. There are more options available then ever before to help you succeed,
including several alternative therapies, especially acupuncture and hypnosis.
Neither has been adequately studied for its smoking cessation benefits but many
practitioners and patients have had success with both. Like most methods,
neither acupuncture nor hypnosis work for everyone, and your motivation and
commitment to quitting are primary indicators of your success.
Acupuncture
In 1973, Hong Kong physician Wen Xianglai pioneered the use of acupuncture to
cure smoking addiction. Lester Sacks, an American doctor, reported similar
success in 1975, and this use for acupuncture has been gaining popularity ever
since. It's theorized that acupuncture helps smokers reduce or eliminate
cravings by boosting their body's production of endorphins, the "feel-good"
substances in the brain. Endorphins make the smoker feel content without
nicotene. In addition to minimizing cravings, acupuncture may help smokers quit
by calming the nervous system, which helps them maintain their will power. It
has also been theorized that acupuncture may intercept messages sent by the
brain to the body demanding more nicotine and may even make tobacco unpalatable
to the smoker. Acupuncture may also help ease the irritability and depression
that can accompany nicotine withdrawal.
If you schedule an appointment with an acupuncturist, do not smoke for at
least five hours before (if possible). Your practitioner likely will use points
on your ear to insert the tiny acupuncture needles; auricular acupuncture, as it
is called, seems most effective for addiction. Some people have lost their
craving for cigarettes after just one acupuncture session. However, you may need
four or five sessions within a month.
To find a qualified acupuncturist, ask your doctor. Or for a list of
certified acupuncture practitioners, look on the Web at www.nccaom.org or send
$3 (check or money order) to the National Certification Commission for
Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, 11 Canal Center Plaza, Suite 300, Alexandria,
VA 22314. You can also get a list of physicians in your area who perform
acupuncture by calling the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture at
1-800-521-2262.
Hypnosis
The other primary alternative treatment for smoking cessation is hypnosis.
This method has been proven effective for habit-related problems such as
addictions. It may help break an addiction to smoking and lessen the
accompanying anxiety, tension, and depression.
Hypnosis may not work for everyone since not everyone can be hypnotized. If
you try this method, the hypnotherapist will first determine your level of
susceptibility to hypnotic suggestion. If it seems you're a good candidate, the
hypnotherapist will put you into a trance, most often by asking you to watch a
moving object, telling you to concentrate on the hypnotherapist's voice, or
having you count backward. Then the therapist will place suggestions into your
unconscious mind to help you stop smoking when you wake up. For example, you may
be told you will feel nauseated whenever you hear the sound of a cigarette
lighter. The therapist may also spend time teaching you self-hypnosis. Many
people see their therapist once a week (for an hour to an hour and a half), and
it's suggested that you self-hypnotize every day (for 20 to 30 minutes). To find
a qualified hypnotherapist, ask your doctor or look on the Internet at the
National Board for Certified Clinical Hypnotherapists' Web site at
www.natboard.com.
Regardless of whether you look to conventional treatments or alternative
therapies such as acupuncture or hypnosis, do try to quit smoking. And try again
if you don't succeed at first—repeated attempts are
actually the best predictors of success. While tobacco is the most addictive
drug known, the addiction can be beat—and alternative
therapies just may be the way out for you.
