Our patient was a 75 year old man who had been smoking for over 60 years, currently at 2 packs a day. His doctor had given him an ultimatum – stop smoking or die. This stop smoking case study describes his successful story.
How Many Americans Still Smoke?
The Centers for Disease Control found over 37 million adults in the United States currently smoke cigarettes. Of these smokers, 16 million live with a smoking-related disease. Current smoking has declined from 21% in 2005 to 15% in 2016.
Stop Smoking Case Study
It’s not easy to quit smoking, but acupuncture can really help. It made a big difference for our 75 year old patient. When he told us he had been smoking for over 60 years we were surprised. And two packs a day is a pretty heavy habit. He had tried the patch, gum, medications to no avail. Nothing worked. That’s why he was here, giving acupuncture a try.
The Treatment
At Raleigh Acupuncture we follow the NADA Protocol, which is a grouping of ear needles that greatly reduces nicotine cravings. Five tiny needles are placed at specific locations in each ear. In addition to reducing the physical addiction to nicotine, they reduce stress and enhance calm. A final benefit is making the cigarettes taste bad.
In addition to the ear needles, we use points on the body. Each patient will receive the points that best support them. In this case, our patient’s tongue and pulse indicated he would benefit from four points called the Four Gates (Li4 and LV3, bilaterally). It’s very helpful to reduce stress.
Lastly, we encouraged him to use the nicotine patch again. It had not worked in the past, but we find that adding the patch to acupuncture makes the treatments more effective.
Patient’s Response
After the first treatment the patient had stopped smoking, except for his morning cigarette. His cravings for cigarettes had been significantly reduced. Following the second treatment, he only had 3 cigarettes in 7 days. The cigarettes tasted bad to him now.
Furthermore, he was feeling much more relaxed at home. His wife told him that he seems much less irritable. This was due to the Four Gates needle treatment he received.
Following his fourth treatment he had stopped smoking completely. In just four treatments he had ended a 60 year addiction. Not all of our cases work this quickly, but this stop smoking case study is a good example of what you can expect.
Coaching Is Key
In addition to the acupuncture, we coach our patients through the stop smoking process. We’ve developed tips and suggestions to make the process easier and more effective. Smoking is a strong addiction that requires a multidimensional approach. Behavioral changes play a role in this process and we make sure to arm our patients with a number of them.
Next Steps
All needles are sterile, single use and hair thin. You will hardly feel them. And treatments are relaxing. Many patients fall asleep during their session.
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WATCH VIDEO ABOUT OUR STOP SMOKING TREATMENT.
LEARN MORE ABOUT STOP SMOKING WITH ACUPUNCTURE.
If you have questions about this stop smoking case study, feel free to contact us.
What our Clients are Saying
I was smoking a pack a day when I started acupuncture. Within two weeks I was down to a single cigarette in the morning. I told them I didn’t want to give up the last cigarette and they said, no problem. It’s been three months and I’m still just smoking one cigarette a day. I can live with that. They didn’t try to push me or make me feel bad. They just met me where I was. I appreciate that. I recommend Raleigh Acupuncture as a practice. They are good.
I thought I would smoke cigarettes forever, until my doctor gave me the ultimatum. Tried cold turkey. No go. Tried the patch. Ditto. Just about gave up trying when my cousin dragged me to acupuncture. I won’t lie to you and say it was easy, but on the other hand I am convinced there is not a single other thing in this world that could have got me off cigarettes. That’s the honest truth. I’m sure now something else is gonna kill me, but at least it won’t be smokes!
I stopped smoking from going to Raleigh Acupuncture. The treatments were comfortable. They put needles in my ears that took away the cravings. I went from 10 cigarettes a day to 2 in the first week. It took another week to go to zero cigarettes. There’s no way I could have stopped without this. I tried the patch and welbutrin before, but it didn’t work. The acupuncture actually made the cigarettes taste bad to me. I never thought that would happen. These guys are good. If you’re a smoker and can’t quit, try acupuncture with them. It really works.