Article written by Stephen Vaughan and published in The Irish Tatler October 2006
Quitting with Acupuncture
Acupuncture is the most widely practised form of Traditional Chinese Medicine. A recent study in the UK has show that 16% of the population there has now been treated by acupuncture and this figure is growing all the time. One of the most common forms of acupuncture treatment is for smoking addiction, and studies have shown that the initial success rates in stopping completely are as high as 60%. (Another 30% of the remainder have been shown to have reduced their smoking levels by half).
The health reasons for stopping smoking are similar in Chinese Medicine as they are in conventional Western Medicine. An acupuncture treatment will involve the painless insertion of very fine needles for about 30 minutes at specific points in the body which relate to the chest and respiratory system. Points are also used which release endorphins and so help to relax the mind and body. These needles are then removed and 2 small pins are discreetly placed in the ear under a skin-coloured plaster. These remain in place for about a week and clients are encouraged to press these several times a day or whenever they find themselves thinking about having a cigarette. The application of pressure on these pins produces endorphins and enkephalins, which have a calming effect and eliminate the cravings.
Acupuncture takes a holistic approach to quitting smoking and a good practitioner will also question the patients about their general health and lifestyle. For instance, I generally encourage clients to review their eating and exercise patterns when they are trying to stop and I offer them a program to follow. Clients will usually come for 2-4 sessions, generally once per week. A nice bonus in the last few years is that VHI, Quinn Healthcare and Hibernian Vivas will give a refund of some of the cost of acupuncture treatments.
Sarah Bevelet has a private acupuncture practice at Mind and Body Works, 15 Wicklow Street , Dublin 2 and can be contacted at 01 6771021 or 086 8748551.