Nancy Ann Miller, Licensed Acupuncturist, M.Ac., L.Ac., Dipl.Ac.
5549 Lee Highway Arlington, VA 22207. Phone (571) 236 – 5542
www.milleracupuncture.com nancy@milleracupuncture.com
Help Yourself Quit Smoking and Be Healthy
Available in Northern Virginia: Smoking Cessation with Acupuncture
Overview of the Tobacufree™ Program
The Tobacufree ™ Program is available in eight
private, confidential sessions at the acupuncture office on Lee
Highway. Each session lasts about 1 ˝ to 2 hours.
Benefits of Acupuncture: Acupuncture treatments are safe and have been proven to curb withdrawal symptoms and manage the cravings for nicotine. And, acupuncture treatments work by assisting the body’s own healing mechanisms. Acupuncture treatments are not another medication; there is no need to worry about side effects and drug interactions; actual adverse reactions to acupuncture are rare.
Treatments are tailored for the individual: This eight week program is designed to support the client’s progression from being a smoker to becoming a non-smoker. It is important for each client to be very motivated to quit, while remaining open and honest about any fears and apprehensions that can naturally arise. Clients sign an agreement to be smoke-free by the “Healthy Beginning Date” -- four weeks into the program.
I conduct a complete intake interview to learn about the client’s particular triggers for smoking and perform a physical examination that includes an acupuncture pulse and tongue diagnosis. I use these to develop a treatment plan that incorporates auricular (ear) acupuncture detoxification protocols as well as other acupuncture points that are selected to benefit the individual client.
A typical session includes a discussion of any physical and emotional symptoms that arose since the last treatment and a review of self assessment questions that are specifically designed to boost client confidence. An acupuncture treatment follows, during which time there is often a guided visualization that promotes relaxation and renewal.
Clients get support, structure, and resources: Each client is given a detailed notebook containing energetic exercises based on Qi Gong, (an ancient Daoist form of simple exercises for increasing and maintaining one’s life force or Qi), visualizations, affirmations and other activities that are designed to support the client’s detoxification from nicotine while continuing to build the client’s confidence in his or her ability to quit.
The move from unconscious smoking to conscious smoking helps to break the habit. Clients become conscious smokers by keeping a log of each cigarette and noting what their triggers are. They are encouraged to ask their loved ones, friends and co-workers for support in becoming a non-smoker. These activities reinforce the acupuncture treatments and the intention of the client to quit and remain a non-smoker.
What about outside the treatment room? In between sessions, clients are encouraged to acknowledge and write about their physical and emotional experiences, changes, and triumphs. Clients are constantly made aware of the multitude of resources available to help them: positive affirmations, breathing and energetic exercises – all these are included in the client notebook and reviewed together during the treatment sessions.
The History of Acupuncture for Treating Addictions:
Starting in 1975, Dr. Michael O. Smith led the staff of NYC’s South Bronx’s Lincoln Hospital drug detox program in the study and refinement of using basic five auricular (ear) points with other therapies and treatment modalities, mostly based on the 12-step model. Acudetox is the term for the use of five designated earpoints in each auricle (outer ear).
In 1985, following 10 years of their experience using this protocol for treatment of addiction, Dr. Smith and his staff saw that there was a need for a national-level organization and they founded the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA). For more information on acupuncture for treating addictions, you may want to look at the website www.acudetox.com of the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association.
The mission of NADA is to promote education and training of acupuncturists and clinicians in using the NADA ear acupuncture protocol to treat addictions. Since this time, acupuncture has proven to be an effective approach for addiction and smoking cessation. More than 500 clinical sites in the US – ( including where I interned in Baltimore) -- Europe, Australia and the Caribbean currently utilize the auricular (ear) protocols developed in China and refined by Dr. Smith and his associates at Lincoln Hospital.
Acupuncture treatments curb withdrawal symptoms, manage cravings and are safe. For decades, in Baltimore, New York City, and throughout the United States and Europe, auricular (ear) acupuncture has been a court mandated treatment for drug addicts.
Because nicotine is a highly addictive substance, the same withdrawal symptoms and cravings typically occur for people who attempt to quit smoking. That’s why the Tobacufree ™ program uses many of the same acupuncture points and protocols as those proven effective for treating drug addictions.
It is estimated that most smokers will attempt to quit 2 or 3 times, or more, before finally kicking the habit. When conventional methods to quit smoking, such as nicotine gum or patches, have failed, smokers often look for other alternatives.
Precisely because it can be so difficult to quit, the Tobacufree ™ Program combines the client’s commitment with weekly acudetox treatments and a high level of support.
For more information contact:
Nancy Ann Miller, L.Ac., M.Ac., Diplomate in Acupuncture
Email: Nancy@milleracupuncture.com
Website: www.milleracupuncture.com
Phone: (571) 236-5542