quitting Smoking & overcoming other addictions - naturally

Mark Twain said, "Quitting smoking is easy... I've done it a thousand times."  

Of course remaining a non-smoker is another story, as is dealing with nicotine withdrawal. But if you really want to quit, and you're ready to quit... this will be the most important article you've ever read.  

Why?  Because in a matter of days, YOU could very likely quit smoking forever, thanks to the remarkable science of ear acupuncture (auricular therapy). 

There are no nicotine patches or gums involved, and you don't need to be hypnotized. It has been used with great success for many years across Europe, and has been adopted by some American doctors.  

It is widely considered to be the most effective way to quit smoking today. Auricular therapy is used in more than 100 drug addiction treatment clinics in over 25 countries.
 

The treatment is done on your outer ears. The medical jargon for the outer ear is the AURICLE. That's the basis of the term, Auricular Therapy. It is performed using painless electrical stimulation and specialized ear acupuncture needles. ​Auricular Therapy has been used to support quitting smoking at medical centers in over 100 nations, including at Lincoln Hospital in New York

At the Liebell Clinic, Auricular Therapy is an integral part of the treatment of chronic pain. It is simply phenomenal for quitting smoking.  Stimulation of acupuncture points on your ears can affect how your body deals with the craving for nicotine. This disrupts the addictive process by helping reduce withdrawal symptoms.

In most cases, one 30-minute treatment session can do it. Others require a few follow-up sessions to quit completely.
 

Most techniques for quitting smoking are aimed at the psychological component. The key to success is that unlike nicotine patches, gums and various fads and gimmicks, ear acupuncture attacks the actual nicotine craving -- the REAL reason you smoke: the chemical addiction.

Before we continue, as you sit there and read every word of this article, I want you to know that I’m not going to rant on about why you need to quit smoking.  I’m not going to treat you like a child and lecture you about how deadly and evil smoking is. Everybody knows! The problem is that you just haven’t been able to quit. That’s what this article is about: quitting.

Also, you should know that not everyone has miraculous results with this treatment. No treatment or physician is perfect. Ear acupuncture therapy doesn’t always work (like so many “quit smoking” programs, supplements and hucksters on the web guarantee). Frankly, I think anybody who claims to have a “guaranteed cure” for smoking is a liar.

However, even if you are a world class smoker, who barely makes it up a flight of stairs without coughing up a lung… you’ve got an excellent chance of finally quitting. That’s because ear acupuncture is capable of helping you BEAT nicotine addiction and free yourself from the evil death grip of tobacco.

The tobacco industry has brainwashed you to believe you actually like to smoke… despite the fact that virtually every EX-smoker testifies to the contrary. With the help of  TV, the movies, and years ago, even the American Medical Association (AMA), Big Tobacco showed us that it was cool to smoke.  

Well it’s not cool anymore!

What happened? We finally learned the truth: doctors, drug companies, tobacco companies and our government were all in bed together. They  plotted and planned to convert the humble tobacco plant into an evil, deadly and highly addictive “gold mine.”  And that’s no crazy conspiracy theory.  

But despite their political and financial agenda becoming exposed, they still sadly defy law and morality. Tobacco companies have been able to fly under the radar as they load up cigarettes with hundreds of chemicals to INTENTIONALLY make them MORE ADDICTIVE. Some cigarettes are even made with sugar-soaked paper, so you get a sugar fix too—another addiction.

It’s not your fault. Nicotine is more addictive than heroin! Plus, the tobacco companies deviously add chemicals to speed up nicotine absorption in your bloodstream—to increase their enormous addictive power. THAT is why you smoke.  

It’s not a question of your intelligence, education or common sense. Once you smoke, you’re addicted. It’s NOT  because it relieves tension (it actually causes it, and chemically tricks you into believing the opposite). You don’t continue to smoke because you believe it makes you look sexy.  And once you’ve quit, you’ll finally believe that you don’t really even like it.

Once you finally get it—that the only reason you smoke is chemical addiction to nicotine, you’re one step closer to quitting. Don’t feel bad.  It really isn’t your fault. You simply can’t function once your nicotine level drops below minimum. You’ve got to smoke. That’s the “whole enchilada.” 

What about stress?  

Smoking does relieve stress, doesn’t it?  No… it IS the stress. You see, your body produces more acid, which is secreted into your urine. This makes you LOSE nicotine FASTER. So, you need more nicotine to calm down. The nicotine is the REAL stress. The same thing goes for alcohol, which also speeds up and multiplies your need for nicotine. 

Perhaps this is one of the reasons you’ve been afraid to quit. You don’t want to give up your means of stress management. The great news is that virtually all ex-smokers report that they’ve become better at coping with stress than when they smoked. Stress is part of life.  As a future non-smoker, you won’t have to deal with addictive feelings when you’re under stress.

There’s no middle ground. So you’ll need a powerful means to become (and stay) a non-smoker. Some people are able to quit, cold turkey. Good for them. Odds are, if you’re reading this, you’re not one of them. It’s okay.  

You’re not alone, and help is on the way. Forget about why you started smoking in the first place. Forget about past failures to quit. None of that matters. The technology and know-how exists to break your nicotine addiction and prevent your from suffering nasty withdrawal symptoms (symptoms that viciously con you into smoking to get sweet relief).

Auricular therapy is the end result of the knowledge accumulated through thousands of years of Chinese acupuncture, decades of European medical research and American engineering and technology.  

In 1989 the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Auricular Therapy a valid medical therapy.  

In 1972 Dr. H.L. Wen, a Hong Kong neurosurgeon, discovered that  acupuncture helped eliminate withdrawal symptoms in opium addicts.  Since his discovery, acupuncture has been used worldwide for treating addiction to heroin, cocaine, alcohol and nicotine.  Lincoln Hospital in New York has been using Auricular therapy for many years to prevent withdrawal symptoms for drug addicts and alcoholics.

Auricular therapy was originally developed by French neurologist, Dr. Paul Nogier during the 1950s. His research, which began with treating cases of sciatica (pain down the thigh and leg), revealed over 200 acupuncture points on the outer ear, which correspond to specific functions and parts of the body. Your ear acts as a “circuit board” to your brain. With a specialized diagnostic ear acupuncture point detector, we are able to locate specific points to be treated for nicotine addiction. 

Auricular therapy interrupts you body’s craving for nicotine. It reduces the effect of withdrawal symptoms. When the ear acupuncture points are detected and expertly stimulated, your body becomes able to release its own stress and pain reducing chemicals, called endorphins at a proper rate.  

Endorphin is short for Endo-Morphine. Its chemistry is very similar to the powerful drug, Morphine. Nicotine interferes with your body’s normal regulation of endorphins. Auricular therapy can stabilize their normal release. It works to help you quit smoking by reducing or eliminating nicotine craving and boosting your nervous system. This gets you through the critical first 96 hours—when you’re still chemically addicted to nicotine.

In my practice, I stimulate the ear points with a combination of mild electrical stimulation, and semi-permanent ear acupuncture needles.  I utilize components of several established protocols for addiction treatment, including those based on the work of:

Research conducted by Nader Soliman, M.D. – past President of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture (AAMA)

The National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA)

The American College of Addictive and Compulsive Disorders (ACACD)

Research conducted at UCLA Pain Management Center 

Once you’ve decided you’re ready to quit, you simply make an appointment. It takes about 30 minutes. In most cases, only one treatment is needed to support you in being able to quit, cold turkey, without suffering withdrawal symptoms that make you want to smoke.

First I take your general health and smoking history. Then your ears are painlessly examined with a diagnostic instrument to determine the appropriate acupuncture points (5-12 of them) for your treatment. Locations can be quite different for each person. Once each point is identified, they are treated for a few seconds with a very mild electrical stimulation, which is not felt.   

Then, specialized, semi-permanent, 3mm-long ear acupuncture needles are inserted at each detected point. The likely most effective combination is electrical stimulation plus application of tiny semi-permanent needles. Most people say they barely feel their insertion at all.  The exposed handle of the tiny needle is covered by surgical tape, and can stay in place for several days, or even weeks. This provides ongoing acupuncture stimulation. This makes repeat treatments usually unnecessary.

Conclusion

I'm very passionate about ear acupuncture because of the magnificent results it has with allergies, chronic pain, and many other symptoms and conditions. For years, I was only providing the quit smoking treatment to existing patients. However, motivated by the early death of both of my childhood friend next door's parents due to lung cancer, and the urging of many of my patients and friends, I was persuaded to make it openly available to the general public.  

Although it’s no longer a secret, I can only accept a small number of patients each month. Because of its popularity and the time required to perform the treatment, I cannot accept everybody for treatment. Only those committed to quitting, who need some help are accepted for treatment.  

There are a lot of smokers out there. But if you are seriously ready to quit smoking, I will consider you for treatment. You are not eligible for treatment if you are pregnant (you shouldn't be smoking, anyway!). 

Your visit includes:

Health/Smoking History Evaluation

Auricular (Ear Acupuncture Point) Diagnostic Examination

Electrical Stimulation of Ear Points

Needle Placement 

Depending on your health history, and amount that you smoke, some additional supportive detoxification supplements may be recommended. 

I recommend that you have your last cigarette several hours prior to treatment.

Please shower and shampoo hair and thoroughly wash your ears as well, several hours prior to treatment. Wear loose and comfortable clothing.

To prepare for your commitment to quitting, I also suggest that you remove any smoking related materials from your home and workplace (cigarettes, lighters, matches, ashtrays, etc.). It is best if you keep away from other people smoking for a couple of weeks, if you can.  Drink plenty of water to aid detoxification.  

Please bring at least one of the exact brand of cigarettes that you smoke with you for treatment.  

Do not drink any alcohol. 

Plan on doing your best to avoid stressful situations that might ordinarily pressure you to smoke. I welcome you to bring along a friend or family member for support during treatment, whether they are a smoker or not.

Considering that the average smoker spends more than $1,000 each year on cigarettes, the treatment pays for itself in a heartbeat (a healthier heartbeat at that!)... and save you money as well as your life. 

If you have been waiting for the “right time” to quit smoking… that time is NOW. Congratulations on your decision to quit smoking for good.  

Call (757) 631-9799 now to reserve a date and time to end your dependence on nicotine.