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Monmouth County Medical practice offers a new way to quit smoking—with a success rate of approximately 75%.

For many people, smoking cessation is an extremely difficult process. So difficult, in fact, that only 4%-7% of smokers are able to quit without any form of intervention such as nicotine replacement products or prescription medications. With assistance from these methods, there is a success rate of about 30%.

Essentially, then, the most common smoking cessation products can only offer any given smoker a slight 30% chance of reducing their risk of early death from lung disease, cancer, or cardiac illnesses.

Many smokers do not realize that there is a healthy, holistic option for smoking cessation that has a much higher success rate—Acupuncture. Acupuncture is successful because it addresses both the physical and emotional aspects of withdrawal.

Before beginning any smoking cessation program, it’s important to understand why it is so hard to quit smoking. The answer to this question lies in the very reason why cigarette addicts must smoke in the first place—to avoid withdrawal symptoms. A smoking habit is essentially the process of experiencing constant withdrawal symptoms and attempting to avoid these unpleasant sensations by continuing to smoke. Smokers often underestimate the unpleasantness of withdrawal symptoms, which can quickly lead them back to cigarettes in order to feel ‘normal.’

Smokers also tend to place an unwarranted amount of faith in nicotine replacement products. Using these products places the burden on the products themselves, instead of on the smoker’s personal responsibility during the quitting process. They also fail to address the emotional needs of smoking cessation.

Acupuncture for the Withdrawal Symptoms of Smoking Cessation

The usual withdrawal symptoms experienced while trying to quit smoking include sleep disturbances, cough and sore throat, increased appetite and weight gain, sweating, headache, digestive problems, and trouble concentrating. Emotional symptoms will also be present. Some smokers may feel depressed, anxious, and/or irritable.

Acupuncture is helpful on a number of fronts. It not only addresses both the mental and bodily distress of smoking cessation, but also speeds up the detoxification process so that the body can return to a more natural state of balance.

Chinese medicine understands all forms of addiction as an imbalance of Yin and Yang (the opposing forces that form the ‘Qi,’ the body’s life force). When the body is addicted to a substance, an imbalance occurs in which Yin is depleted. Yin is associated with water, and Yang with fire. When the body is in this state of disharmony, Yang’s fire is allowed to burn out of control, creating an unhealthy cycle in which Yin is further depleted and this fire (or addiction) gains a false, temporary sense of power. Acupuncture works to bring the body back into balance.

From the perspective of Western medicine, Acupuncture is successful in treating addiction because it prompts the release of certain naturally-occurring substances in the brain that regulate both pain and mood. For example, acupuncture stimulates the production of endorphins, which can promote relaxation while easing physical discomfort. Endorphins are the body’s natural opiates. This is particularly relevant for smokers because the act of smoking produces a similar endorphin release.

Monmouth County Acupuncture for Quitting Smoking

The Quit Smoking Now Program offered at Monmouth Pain and Rehabilitation usually includes five acupuncture treatments during the first two to three weeks of smoking cessation. Smokers are advised to stop smoking after the first treatment.

The success rate for quitting smoking in our Red Bank, NJ office is approximately 75%-- significantly higher than any other treatment. Please contact us to learn more about quitting smoking in Monmouth County with Acupuncture.

Monmouth Pain and Rehabilitation offers the Quit Smoking Now Program, which includes acupuncture and has a success rate of approximately 75%. In contrast, smokers who used a combination of counseling and the drug Bupropion (Wellbutrin) had a success rate of only 30.5%. Even worse, just seven percent of people who used the nicotine patch or gum were successful after six months.

The Quit Smoking Now Program at Monmouth and Rehabilitation recommends that smokers go ‘cold turkey’ after the first acupuncture session. This smoking cessation plan usually includes five treatments over a period of two to three weeks, but each smoker’s plan is customized to fit individual needs.

Please contact Monmouth Pain and Rehabilitation now for a complimentary consultation to determine whether you are a candidate for the Quit Smoking Now Program at our Monmouth County office.