Trying to find “acupuncture to quit smoking near me”? We’re here for you. Our award-winning acupuncturists provide the best acupuncture for quitting smoking in Irvine.
Smoking is a hard habit to break. It was found by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2018 that more than 7 out of every 100 (7.5%) people who tried to quit succeeded [1]. Those who choose to stop have a chance to completely recover from the effects of smoking. But, those who didn’t stop, they faced a higher risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which all symptoms can lead to death.
How to stop smoking?
Quitting smoking is a hard thing to do. There are various ways to help like finding what triggers your cravings, relaxing, and relying on your loved ones. However, it still may be hard to quit smoking. The cravings and the withdrawals are hard to handle. If things get difficult, you can consult your doctor for some medication to help. But, your doctor might recommend a treatment that has been known to help people stop smoking and remain clean for the rest of their lives. It’s acupuncture for smokers.
What is acupuncture for Quitting smoking?
Acupuncture for quitting smoking is a practice under traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) where it’s believed that an imbalance of the body’s life energy called qi causes issues in the body. By inserting needles in specific points in the body called acupoints, acupuncture can stimulate the body’s qi. This restores the balance of the body’s flow of qi and promotes the body’s natural healing abilities. As a result, acupuncture can help to quit smoking by regulating cravings from withdrawals, anxieties, and to heal the lungs.
Can acupuncture help stop smoking?
Acupuncture for smoking can be helpful with people who want to stop smoking. Acupuncture is known to be a reasonable treatment when it comes to various health issues. It’s even known to help out with mental problems like depression and anxiety. It was also found by the scientific community that acupuncture is a great alternative or complementary treatment for smokers. A study published in the National Library of Medicine found that adequate acupuncture treatment may help motivated smokers to reduce their smoking, or even quit smoking completely, and the effect may last for at least 5 years [2].
What to expect | Acupuncture To Quit smoking
Want to know more about “acupuncture for smoking near me”?
Here are some things you would want to know about acupuncture to quit smoking. If you have other questions or want to book an appointment, call us now at (949) 229-7498
How does acupuncture treatments usually go?
You’ll come in for an appointment and meet one of our acupuncturists. If it is your very first acupuncture appointment, you’ll have to sign a few forms. Then you will go through a medical examination where you’ll be asked some questions about your medical history. If your acupuncturist chooses acupuncture as your treatment, you’ll lay down and relax. Then you’ll have needles inserted on top of your skin for 30 minutes. Afterward, your acupuncturist will remove the needles and you’ll schedule the next series of sessions to feel the benefits of acupuncture.
Do acupuncture needles hurt?
No, the acupuncture needles don’t hurt. They barely pass a thin layer of skin and are super thin. The needles are almost as thin as your hair. In reality, the acupuncture needles actually feel relaxing. So relaxing, that some patients fall asleep during the session. If you do feel any pain, please tell your acupuncturist, so they can readjust them.
Why smoking is bad for you?
Smoking has many negative effects on the body. Although it may not affect you right away, it can come with many complications in the future. If one continues to smoke, they will face many health issues and may even lead to death. Here are just some of the many complications that result from smoking:
- Cancer: lung, mouth, esophagus, stomach, colon, and many more
- Lung disease: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Bronchitis
- Heart disease: peripheral artery disease, coronary heart disease (CHD)
- High cholesterol
- Anxiety and Irritability
- Weaker immune system
- Blood clotting: high blood pressure
- Strokes or heart attacks
- Diabetes: Type 2 diabetes progress faster with smokers
- Infertility
- Erectile dysfunction
- Vision problems: cataracts and macular degeneration (AMD)
- Nicotine addiction
What are the benefits of quitting smoking?
Because smoking has many complications, quitting smoking has tremendous benefits. Quitting smoking will result in you experiencing these benefits:
- Reduction in heart disease
- Reduction in strokes
- Lower cholesterol levels
- Less risk of cancer
- Stronger immune system
- Breaking out of nicotine addiction
- Stronger muscles and bones
- Breathing is easier
- Daily coughing and wheezing slowly disappears
- Sense of taste and smell return
- Exercise and activities become easier
- Circulation to the hands and feet improves
- Reduce belly fat
- And many more health benefits.
What happens after you quit smoking?
After you stop smoking, the benefits can start even after 20 minutes. Here is a timeline after you stop smoking:
After 1 hour: Your heart rate drops and returns to normal. Blood pressure starts to drop, and circulation begins to improve.
After 12 hours: Your body starts to cleanse itself of the excess carbon monoxide from smoking. The carbon monoxide level returns back to normal and the body’s oxygen levels increase.
After 1 day: Your blood pressure starts to drop and decreasing the risk of heart disease from high blood pressure (hypertension). This will result in your oxygen levels rising. This will make physical activity easier to do.
After 2 days: You may start to notice a better sense of smell and taste as your nerves heal from the damage caused by smoking.
After 3 days: The nicotine levels in your body are reduced significantly. Although it’s better to have no nicotine in the body, this reduction causes nicotine withdrawal. During this time, you will begin to experience moodiness and irritability, severe headaches, and cravings as the body adjust to the change.
After 1 month: Your lung begins to recover. As your lungs begin to recover and lung capacity increases, you may experience less coughing and shortness of breath. Physical endurance increases and you may notice that you can do more physical activities like running and jumping.
After 1-3 months: Your body circulation improves.
After 9 months: Your lungs have significantly recovered. You’ll notice a decrease in lung infections.
After 1 year: Your risk for coronary heart disease decreases by 50%. This risk will continue to drop after a year.
After 5 years: Your body has recovered enough that the arteries and blood vessels begin to return back to normal and widen again. This means the blood is less likely to clot, lowering the risk of stroke and will continue to lower over the next few years as you continue to recover.
After 10 years: Your chances of developing lung cancer and dying from it are reduced by 50% compared with someone who keeps smoking. Also, the risk of developing mouth, throat, or pancreatic cancer is significantly reduced.
After 15 years: The chance of you developing coronary heart disease is the same as a non-smoker. In addition, your risk of developing pancreatic cancer is the same as a non-smoker.
After 20 years: Your risk of death from smoking-related causes drops to the level of a non-smoker. Also, the chance of developing pancreatic cancer has reduced to that of a non-smoker.
Acupuncture will help you with your smoking cessation process.
What is Nicotine Withdrawal?
When quitting smoking, you will face nicotine withdrawals. These are the symptoms you will be facing after you stop smoking. Nicotine withdrawals include:
- Intense cravings for nicotine
- tingling in your hands and feet
- Sweating
- Nausea and abdominal cramping
- Constipation and gas
- Headaches
- Coughing
- Sore throat
- Insomnia
- Difficulty concentrating
- Anxiety
- Irritability
- Depression
- Weight gain
Smoking triggers
When it comes to smoking, it’s important to know your triggers. Knowing your triggers can help reduce the chances of you smoking again. Here are some triggers to think about:
- Emotional: Emotions can trigger an urge to smoke. These include feelings of stress, anxiety, boredom, depression, etc.
- Pattern: There are patterns or activities that are connected with smoking and can trigger an urge to smoke. These include activities like drinking, watching TV, work break, after a meal, etc.
- Social: There are some social or occasions that usually have smoking involved and can trigger an urge to smoke. These include things like going to the bar or party, seeing someone smoke, hanging out with friends who smoke, etc
- Withdrawal: As a smoker, your body is used to intaking nicotine. The reduction of nicotine results in cravings that can trigger an urge to smoke. These include cravings like the taste of a cigarette, smell of cigarettes, handling cigarettes or anything associated with it, etc
Want to stop smoking and need help? You’re in the right place. Stop by and meet the best acupuncturist in Irvine. Dr. Fu provides the most effective acupuncture for smoking. Get a consultation by calling: (949) 229-7498
Reference
[1] “Fast Facts.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 21 May 2020, http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fast_facts/index.htm.
[2] He D, Medbø JI, Høstmark AT. Effect of acupuncture on smoking cessation or reduction: an 8-month and 5-year follow-up study. Prev Med. 2001;33(5):364-372. doi:10.1006/pmed.2001.0901