Acupuncture Can Help You Quit Smoking

Smoking is one hard habit to break. If nicotine patches and gum doesn’t work, perhaps you should try something else like an alternative form of healthcare like acupuncture.

Acupuncture is an ancient practice involving the use of needles. This instrument is inserted into the skin to allow you energy or Qi to start flowing freely around your body and thus help you quit smoking.

When you go visit an acupuncturist for the first time and tell him or her that you want to quit smoking, after answering some questions, the specialist will carry out an examination of your ears and search for areas where the energy is low.

Once these spots are identified, these sharp needles are then inserted. Usually 5 needles are placed in various acupoints.

The treatment is finished after an hour and when the needles are removed, you are advised to wear ear magnets so your session continues even when you leave the clinic.  While acupuncture itself is a painless procedure, some smokers have claimed that they felt a prick or get sleepy.

Most smokers will have to come to the clinic 4 to 6 times before seeing any significant results.  Just to give you an idea, one study shows that the respondents reported a decrease in the number of cravings to smoke just after one or two sessions. Seven out of 10 of the respondents were able to kick the habit after 5 or 6 sessions.

Because the number of test subjects is small, there are some who doubt the effectiveness of acupuncture.  This is because although there are positive signs with regards to the short term effects of this technique, its effects were not sustained. This is why some medical journals have stated that it is unclear what acupuncture can do in smoking cessation.

But you have to remember that acupuncture is not permanent. It merely starts something that you have to finish on your own. Some smokers who go 2 or 3 times a week to the clinic will need to come back for follow up sessions in the future.

At the same time, you have to find ways to prevent yourself from picking up a cigarette. You can do this by staying away from people who smoke since you will be tempted to ask for a stick. You can create your own personal mantra which you repeat to yourself every time you have an urge.

Remember that this craving is only short term and will last only for a few minutes. You have worked so hard to leave this behind so stick to the path and stay smoke free.

Acupuncture treatment for smokers should only be done by a license professional. You can do some research online to find out if they are accredited by the National Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, ask how long they have been in the profession, find out how many smokers they have helped and how much will they charge.

Once you have found one, you have to commit yourself to the program because both you and the acupuncturist have to work together to give up this habit.

Acupuncture can help smokers in the same way that it has helped addicts and alcoholics quit their addictions. You just have to try it even if you may not believe in it.

Acupuncture Closely Revealed

The foundation of acupuncture rests on the relevance of an individual’s chi in maintaining bodily and mental health. It is believed that chi is present in every living creature, and flows through specific pathways in the body. Health problems arise when the flow of chi on the body is blocked. As a result, a person may feel persistent headaches, muscle pain, fever, weakness, or in the worst case, becomes afflicted with more serious health conditions.

A Deeper Explanation of Acupuncture

Acupuncture has its origins in ancient Chinese philosophy and practice. More than ten thousand years ago, during the Old Stone Age of China, stones were fashioned into knives for medical purposes. After several years, during the New Stone Age, these stones were eventually made into needles intended for the same therapeutic end. These accounts are further evidenced by unearthed stone needles found to be of the same types used during the New Stone Age.

There are basically 14 pathways throughout the body where chi flows continuously. These are called the meridian points. In order for chi to course through the body unobstructed, there has to be a balance between the strengths of yin and yang. In ancient Chinese philosophy, yin and yang represent the forces of the universe- yin is for feminine, while yang is for masculine. Every single thing in the universe is believed to contain both yin and yang for harmony.

When the yin and yang are not balanced, chi cannot stream through the body liberally. Therefore, the meridian points through which chi courses through need to be stimulated. This is done by the insertion of hair-thin, disposable needles in specific areas on a person’s body to induce bodily harmony and bring about healing.

A certified and trained acupuncturist will be able to carry out an excellent therapy session for the patient. Trainings for acupuncturists are given in order for them to obtain their licenses. A poor practitioner may not be proficient enough with the practice and could end up jeopardizing the results of the entire procedure. Nowadays, it is wise to verify on a practitioner’s credentials to ensure a safe and effective acupuncture treatment.

What This Ancient Method Does

One of the foremost effects of acupuncture on the body is relaxation. Stress is frequently pinpointed as the main precursor for a host of physical ailments. There are particular points all over the body that direct the flow of harmony and relaxation and when these are enthused, the patient becomes more at ease.

Another positive effect of this alternative therapy is increased pain control. During a session, a patient will usually feel very minimal pain as the thin needles are being inserted gradually. However, the needles are deliberately placed in varying depths, depending on the health requirements of the patient. When the needles reach the right depth, the patient will feel deeper pain, although the entire procedure is not necessarily painful.

It is also recommended for relief from chemotherapy fatigue as well as chemotherapy-related nausea. It has also been found to be largely effective for back pains, migraines, menstrual cramps, and as a pain controller for patients after undergoing surgical operations.

Variations of Conventional Acupuncture

Auriculotherapy or ear acupuncture is one of the variations of conventional acupuncture. In this practice, it is believed that the ear provides a map for all the major bodily organs. A specific area or point on the ear corresponds to a particular organ, such as the heart, kidneys, or liver. Thus, the needles are placed in particular points around the ear and on the ear cartilage.

Staplepuncture is a method used in smoking cessation, wherein staples are placed for a certain period anywhere on the ear area to provide stimulation.

Indeed there is growing evidence that this traditional Oriental practice can rival any modern forms of treatment. If you are one of the many people who are looking for a widely recognized and time honored therapeutic practice, acupuncture may just be the alternative treatment for you.

Acupuncture Could Help You Finally Manage Your Stress Levels

Today's world can fill the very busy individual with a lot of stress. Without some way of removing this stress from your system, you're placing yourself in danger from a lot of stress-related diseases. You might suffer from insomnia or headaches or very serious heart diseases.

You could take anti-stress pills to help you relax but, like me, you might also be worried about the side effects these pills could have. The good news is that you could try acupuncture at least once to see if it could help you manage the stress. It certainly couldn't hurt to try acupuncture if all you're after is stress relief.

If you find it doesn't work for you, then you can just easily stop taking acupuncture treatments. If it works, though, then you can say you've found a good treatment for stress that doesn't rely on those dangerous chemicals and pills.

How does sticking needles into your body help manage the stress?

In traditional Chinese medicine, much of the treatments depend on an understanding of the balance in our bodies and its internal organs. The sicknesses we sometimes develop are seen to be caused by imbalances in our lifestyles and environment. Stress is also affected by this imbalance. That is why when there is something wrong with your body, you'd typically have less of an ability to deal with stress. You'd get more irritable and find it really to difficult to relax.

By sticking these very thin needles past the surface of our skin, the acupuncturist stimulates nerves in our body. These nerves send signals to our brain and scientists believe that the brain then releases its natural painkillers into our system. This immediately causes a feeling of relaxation for many people.

The needles could also help your body by stimulating its circulation. With the circulation between the organs of the body improved, a lot of the body's wastes could be cleansed properly. Your organs would also receive the full benefit of the oxygen from your lungs making its way into the cells of your body without any blockages. This makes your organs much healthier and leaves you feeling much better in the long term as well.

You can think of a session with the acupuncturist as very much like massage therapy. A good massage would help give you a very relaxing sleep that night and an acupuncturist could help you with your sleep as well. You might immediately start to feel drowsy as soon as the right nerves are stimulated by the acupuncturist's needles.

You might be asking yourself how you'd be able to relax if you're suffering from the pain of the needles attached to your body. What you might not realize is that because of the thinness of the needles, you would hardly feel anything. The most that many people claim they feel is a kind of tingling feeling where the needles are. And that is actually a sign that the process is working,

Acupuncture is a practice that helps you use your bodies' own ability to manage stress properly. This leaves you healthier, and more importantly, prevents any of the serious diseases that could come from unbalanced, stressful lifestyles.

It might not be something to replace regular trips to the doctor but with its many possible benefits, acupuncture might be worth trying out very soon.

Acupuncture Degrees

If you want to pursue a career in acupuncture, you need to obtain a degree and become a licensed professional.

This can easily be accomplished in three years of schooling from an accredited alternative medicine school which prepares students in the various acupuncture techniques to treat illnesses resulting from allergies, occupational stress, emphysema, gastrointestinal stress, arthritis, headaches, depression, and hypertension to name a few.

Students who enroll in such courses will be taught through demonstration, discussion and hands on application.

Part of the curriculum will also include basic courses in traditional medicine covering subjects such as anatomy, biosciences, medical terminology, herbal medicine, moxibustion, and acupressure. In some schools, they may require students to also learn about nutrition and various kinds of research.

Once they graduate, they may start in an entry level position earning $40,000 or more which will soon double or triple after years of experience and working themselves up the ladder.

If you want to look for a school that offers acupuncture degrees, it is best to go online and see which one has the best program that suits your requirements.

You won’t have a hard time looking for one as the number of institutions which teach students about acupuncture have gone up at a rapid rate since 1982 when the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM) and the Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (CCAOM) were established.

To date there are about 50 colleges and a few also offer a master’s degree in Oriental Medicine and Acupuncture.

So what are you waiting for? If you think you have what it takes to be an acupuncturist, then go ahead and just do it.

It doesn’t matter if you are still in high school or if you are already working because a shift in your career could let you achieve your true calling.

The best way to start though is to talk with an acupuncturist about what it takes to become one so he or she will be able to give you an idea of what happens in the job.

If you haven’t picked a school, talk to students about the curriculum so you get your money’ s worth should you decide to attend this college.

A lot of people are unaware that acupuncture is not yet legal in every state. You can find work or start your own practice in California, New York, Texas, Hawaii and Oregon with 8 more states that are still pending legislation.

We mentioned that you have to study in a school certified by the Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (CCAOM). One more hurdle you have to face before getting your license is passing an exam given by them except in the state of California which has its own regulating body and board certification exam in order for you to practice your profession.

An acupuncturist degree is just the first step in becoming your own boss. To become a master, you have to learn everything there is to know as a student so those who entrust themselves to you in the future will not have any problems.

As more people are opening their minds to this practice, people should know that getting an acupuncture degree will not replace traditional medicine since there are limits to what it can do for the patient. It is merely a form of holistic healthcare that works hand in hand with science to help the person deal with an illness.

Acupuncture For All Those Simple Aches And Pains

If, like me, you have quite a fear of needles and injections, then acupuncture, that practice of sticking needles onto different parts of your body to cure sicknesses might seem scary at first.

However, if you've been long been suffering from some problems like headaches or chronic pains and your regular visits to the doctor don't seem to be helping you, then why not consider a trip to an acupuncture specialist? After all, who hasn't heard of somebody's aunt somewhere suffering from arthritis and trying out everything that the doctors recommended all to no avail, only to finally be cured by a really good acupuncturist?

Perhaps you were wondering if it could actually work for you. You might feel a bit skeptical since traditional Chinese medicine doesn't immediately coincide with theories in modern Western medicine. In fact, the use of needles to cure people was discovered thousands of years ago in China long before microscopes or x-ray machines were invented or before bacteria and germs were discovered.

When you think about it, that might be something that the practice has going for it. If it has existed already for thousands of years and is still being practiced by millions up to now, then it must have worked already for quite a number of people.

What typically happens when you go to an acupuncturist?

When you go to an acupuncturist, you would typically first be asked about your medical history, how you're feeling and any symptoms of sicknesses you might have. The specialist would observe features of your face, including your tongue. According to specialists, your tongue is a good indicator of the health of your internal organs. The acupuncturist would listen to sounds that your body makes like the sounds coming from your lungs. How your body smells could also be an indicator of your overall health for the acupuncturist's diagnosis.

Based on what the acupuncturist finds out about your sickness, he or she would then formulate the treatment that your body needs. With traditional Chinese medicine, sicknesses are seen as a kind of imbalance and loss of harmony between your bodies' organs. You can consider the use of needles on your body as just a way to push your body and its organs back into balance.

The specialist would begin inserting very thin needles into the right places in your body. To many people, inserting these needles doesn't really hurt. After all, an acupuncturist's needles are usually much thinner than the needles that are used for injections. Many have claimed that inserting these needles actually calms them down and relaxes them.

How does the use of these needles help you?

A lot of problems have been claimed to have been alleviated through this practice. These include headaches, the common cold, arthritis, back pains, asthma and even infertility.

Even though acupuncture isn't part of Western medicine, Western medicine experts have studied it extensively. Some theories as to why it works involve acupuncture perhaps stimulating the brain's release of the body's natural painkillers. Acupuncture could also stimulate proper circulation in the human body.

Western medicine is still studying acupuncture and trying to find out how to best integrate it with practices in Western medicine. That is why, along with Western medicine and trips to the doctor, one could certainly try acupuncture.

It couldn't hurt and it might actually be the one to finally relieve you of a lot of your body's aches and pains and even make you healthier.

Acupuncture for Effective Weight Loss

In a generation when physical fitness is given topmost attention, people are always on the lookout for the newest and most effective means for weight loss. Acupuncture, the method of inserting thin, filiform needles on certain points in an individual’s body, has been found to be one effectual method for losing weight.

Not many people may find the idea of being inserted by needles quite comforting in their quest for weight control. However, this ancient Chinese alternative treatment seeks to deliver a control mechanism, enabling the patient to manage hunger cravings more successfully in the long run.

The Skinny on Acupuncture Weight Loss

It has been found that weight gain is directly related to emotions.  Other than physical hunger, people reach for a huge chocolate bar or a big platter of burger and fries because of the sense of comfort derived from food and eating. More often than not, excessive weight gain is an emotional issue, rather than a mere physical one. You may not realize it, but you tend to take in more food whenever you’re stressed, upset, or pressured.

In Acupuncture, there are specific spots on the body being targeted by the hair-like needles. These spots are linked to certain areas in the body and by stimulating these spots; the patient will achieve a greater sense of inner balance. As these points are inserted by the needles, certain hormones are released throughout the body. These substances work by helping you manage hunger and efficiently control the impulse to overeat.

How Acupuncture Induces Weight Loss

Most acupuncturists will target the spots behind the ear when it comes to promoting weight loss. When these points behind the ear are stimulated, endorphins are released in large doses. Endorphins are called the feel-good hormones, and these are also often referred to as natural pain and fever relievers. The release of endorphins is what makes you feel better after an increased level of physical activity, as in the case of a good workout.

These bodily compounds allow the patient to experience better relaxation, thus considerably alleviating stress. There is a greater possibility of enhanced weight loss when the patient has already achieved emotional wellness. Endorphins are also released whenever the body experiences low levels of bodily pain, thus their moniker as a natural pain reliever.

Patients of acupuncture typically experience very minimal or no pain at all, however most of the points are located near nerve endings and muscle tissues. As the needles are embedded in the body, signals are sent to the brain thus promoting the release of endorphins from the pituitary gland.

There are also other points in the body that serve as gateways for better weight management. One of these placements promotes a decrease in an individual’s appetite, while another has the ability to reduce water retention in the body. The acupuncturist may choose a multi-targeted approach, depending on the requirements of the patient.

Consulting with a Professional Acupuncturist

There are a number of acupuncture practitioners in existence nowadays, offering a host of services. If you are considering this form treatment for your weight management, make sure that you settle with no less than a trained and professional acupuncturist. A poorly trained acupuncturist may not be able to pinpoint the specific meridian points and worse, may cause unnecessary bodily pain and discomfort.

Moreover, your acupuncturist may require an herbal supplement for your treatment, to encourage a longer-term effect. Your sessions need not be maintained for an extensive period; however you may be required to visit your acupuncturist during the entire course of the sessions.

There are other means for losing weight successfully, and this does not include crash dieting and strenuous work outs. If carried out by trained professionals, acupuncture can be the answer for effective weight management. While it is far from being a cure-all, it may just be the right weight loss solution for you.

Acupuncture is an Example of Holistic Healthcare

Holistic healthcare by definition is being able to cure an illness through the use alternative means. This means no medication is given to the patient and an instrument like a bunch of needles could do the trick.

Acupuncture has been around for than 2000 years. It is only recently that this holistic form of healthcare has reached the US. Studies have shown that it can treat minor problems and prevent some from happening.

The needles used in acupuncture are very thin but thicker than the human hair. This makes it smaller than those used on hypodermic needles.

Most patients that undergo acupuncture will not feel any significant change after one session which is why a few sessions are needed. Best of all, it is painless so your body will not feel sore afterwards.

Several studies have been conducted about acupuncture and there have been positive results. For instance in the UK, 400 participants who were suffering from migraines claimed they felt better after 3 months worth of sessions.

In the US, acupuncture has also proven to be effective in helping people deal with arthritis because the needles help the body fight against this chronic illness that is much cheaper and more effective than conventional medicine.

Acupuncture can do more than just helping patients deal with arthritis or migraine. Clinical tests have shown that it can help obese people lose weight and those who are suffering from insomnia.

In some countries, acupuncture has even been used to replace chemical anesthesia prior to surgery as there are some patients who are not able to tolerate regular anesthesia.

Another field which acupuncture has proven to be effective is helping patients deal with their addictions such as alcohol, drugs and smoking. One study of smokers revealed that the average patient will cut down by half the number of cigarettes they consume after just one treatment. Just imagine the potential after a few more sessions!

This has resulted in the establishment of clinics nationwide that only use acupuncture as the means of rehabilitation.

Acupuncturists in the US charge from $75 to $150 per session. This usually gets lower in the succeeding treatments.  The person will probably have to undergo 10 to 15 treatments 2 to 3 times a week but this really depends on the condition of the patient.
 
Before you go to one, you should check if this is covered by your insurance. If it isn’t, perhaps you should suggest that it should be included as it is much cheaper than having to undergo surgery.

Although there are risks if you decide to go undergo acupuncture, these can be avoided as long as the one doing it is a licensed professional who makes sure that the needles used are sterilized before they are inserted into the body.

These days, a lot of people in the medical field have accepted the fact that alternative medicine such as this can also help the patient which is why they may refer someone when it is needed.

So, if you are tired of experiencing the side effects of conventional medicine and want to try a holistic form of healthcare, why don’t you see what acupuncture can do for you? It is painless and cost effective. In fact, it is just one of many you can try to help treat a chronic condition.