Quit smoking with acupuncture: a recent study found that combining acupuncture with awareness helps even the heaviest smokers quit - Natural Medicine - Brief Article

Natural Health, April, 2003

IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU LOVE WANTS to cease smoking and counseling hasn't helped, try adding acupuncture. In a recent study, 40 percent of smokers who received acupuncture and anti-smoking counseling quit. The regimen worked particularly well for people who smoked at least a pack a day, says lead researcher Ian D. Bier, Ph.D., N.D., L.Ac., a naturopath and acupuncturist in Durham, N.H. The results weren't as good for participants who received just acupuncture; only 20 percent broke the habit. Nor did counseling alone work: Of the group that received sham acupuncture (needles were inserted near, but not on, the acupuncture points) and counseling, only 20 percent quit.

No one knows exactly how acupuncture cures addiction, but some scientists think it increases your body's production of mood-enhancing endorphins, which alleviate withdrawal symptoms, explains Bier. To find an acupuncturist in your area who works with addictions, contact the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (888-765-6232). Then contact your local hospital to sign up for anti-smoking counseling.