acupuncture for giving up smoking

Treatment with Chinese Medicine

You may be considering alternative therapy for any one of a multitude of health problems. Acupuncture and Tuina (Chinese therapeutic massage) can provide effective treatment for many problems.

This page looks at how Traditional Chinese Medicine can help with GIVING UP SMOKING.

I could give you facts and figures about smoking but I will not because they are well known - so I have concentrated more on providing details of how acupuncture can help with giving up smoking.

Find out

• how the problem is described in Western terms
• how the problem is explained by Traditional Chinese medicine
• what clients have said about treatment
• what the evidence is that acupuncture is effective for the problem (includes links to World Health Organisation if appropriate)
• what links there are to other useful sites

What is giving up smoking in Western terms?

It is a battle with an addiction, one that occurs at different levels:

• A physical addiction
• A mental addiction
• Smoking is also a comfort habit

Because of this addictive element, it is ESSENTIAL that there is commitment from the patient to follow best practice on stopping the habit between treatment sessions (see Links on the right).

How does Chinese medicine help with giving up smoking?

Ear acupuncture - the NADA protocol

An important part of treatment is the use of a set of acupuncture points on the ear that help patients give up substance abuse. These are known as the NADA protocol that was developed in Hong Kong for opium addiction. The benefit is that the points can be needled on one ear and pellets taped onto the other ear and left in for the patient to stimulate between treatments. More information is available on the acupuncture page. Body acupuncture may also be used..

Lifestyle change

Giving up smoking is a major lifestyle change. Acupuncture can help because it is a very calming treatment. See lifestyle page

Have clients been pleased with treatment?

I have not had a patient who just came wanting to give up smoking! Patients have found that they were smoking less as they felt calmer after treatment - but I suspect these were not seriously addicted to nicotine. I am a keen user of ear acupuncture so will be very pleased to get my first challenge.

What evidence is there that Chinese medicine works?

The NADA protocol for ear treatment is extremely widely used in both public and private situations. For example, the Christie Hospital in Manchester (NHS) offers ear acupuncture as part of a package for helping patients to give up smoking. However others, such as the British Medical Journal, say there is no evidence that acupuncture helps with giving up smoking.

You will find that acupuncture and Tuina can be used for far more problems than is commonly realised