"Are you still smoking?"
This is the embarrassing question often asked to people who smoke. Let's face it: it's not easy to stop. We're dealing with a nicotine addiction that is fed at least ten, if not twenty times a day. It's a dangerous habit. We all know the harm that smoking does to us and to those around us. And, smokers have tried to quit their addiction. Not once, or twice, but many times. The Commonwealth of' Massachusetts will soon become one of the ever- increasing number of states to ban smoking in any public place.

How, then, does one stop smoking without experiencing the withdrawal symptoms, the increase in eating, the constant desire to "light up", the anxious sensation in the body'?

Acupuncture works in erasing the desire and the need to smoke. It has become a method of choice to stop smoking. With a success rate between 85 and 90 per cent in reducing the physical and emotional craving, acupuncture is the easiest and most comfortable way to rid oneself of the smoking addiction.

Very few withdrawal symptoms are experienced because the acupuncture treatment counteracts the effects of nicotine withdrawal. The patient feels a sense of calm and tranquility after the treatment, and this feeling lasts between treatments. There is no sense of the need to increase one's appetite while being treated by acupuncture.

How Does This Work?
There are areas on the outer ear which are treated by the acupuncturist. This treatment is totally pain free, and blissfully relaxing. An ion pellet is taped on the ear, with the recommendation that the patient stimulate, (touch) this point whenever the urge to smoke arises. This will have the effect of alleviating that craving for nicotine,' the cravings will be minimal as the nicotine leaves the system. Acupuncture stimulates endorphins which come from the central nervous system. These endorphins are the body's natural opiates and they are 5,000 to 10,000 stronger than morphine for the relief of stress. A series of five acupuncture treatments is recommended for smoking cessation.

Acupuncture treatments are totally painless and the effects are long lasting. The World Health organization (WHO) of the United Nations recognizes forty-seven different health conditions that are successfully treated by acupuncture. One of these is nicotine addiction. While some smokers have tried using the nicotine patch to stop smoking, they are often unsuccessful. The reason is that the patch puts nicotine back into your body. Acupuncture detoxifies the body. It takes nicotine out of your body while allowing your natural endorphins to take over the comfort level.

Acupuncture helps you to relax. It balances your nervous system. Every day we find ourselves keyed up, tense, stressed about something at work, commuting, or at home. This condition produces rapid breathing, faster heart beats, and incomplete digestion. Acupuncture helps the body to naturally tune into a relaxation response, producing a slower and more even heart beat, deeper and relaxed breathing, and safe digestion. The body will be in a state of good health.

If you're reading this, you are on your way to kicking the smoking habit and becoming smoke-free and healthier. With the help of acupuncture you have the best chance of success.

Health experts agree that quitting smoking is the single most important thing you can do for your health. More than 25 diseases are associated with tobacco use, including cancer of the lungs, bladder, mouth, larynx, pharynx, esophagus, pancreas, kidney uterus, and cervix. Smoking also raises the chances of developing emphysema or increasing the risks of having a stroke by 30 per cent.

Using acupuncture to quit smoking yields enormous benefits. Aside from addressing the key problems that can cause you to resume the habit, acupuncture can help restore your body and its systems to a healthy balance.

You can give yourself a gift of health; call today to make an appointment for acupuncture treatment. Once you begin your acupuncture treatments, you'll be pleasantly surprised at how comfortable you'll feel. Within a very short period of time. your smoking addiction will finally be a thing of the past forever.

---