For some people who are looking for alternative methods to help them quit smoking, they can think of looking
at two methods that employ similar processes, with one being thousands of years old, the other only being
available since 2006.
Acupuncture has been known as a way to treat pain for centuries. It's based on
the principle of applying very thin yet sharp needles into specific pressure points on the body, which then
alleviate pain in other parts of the body. It has also been known to help improve people's state of mind by
stimulating nerves that release tension, bringing them a sense of peace and relaxation.
Since that works, studies began in the last 1990's to see if acupuncture could work as a treatment to help
people stop smoking. In one particular study that went over a five year period, a number of people were
given treatments that affected areas of the body that pertain to smoking, such as the mouth, airways, and
lungs. All of the participants who received acupuncture in those areas stated that they felt a decreased urge
to smoke, and maintained that feeling 8 months after the treatments ended, when they were contacted again.
Meanwhile, the other group of participants, who had received acupuncture treatments but in other areas of
the body that addressed different concerns, weren't affected at all where it pertained to smoking.
This countered a previous study done periodically from 1977 through 1992 by the University of Exeter
which found that acupuncture wasn't all that much more effective than any other methods at the time, but
that, because it produced behavioral results, it might be fairly effective for people who searched out
acupuncture as a way to overcome smoking. However, the survey was determined to be unreliable for two
reasons, one being how few people were tested, and the other that no follow up was done on any of the patients
after they participated in the surveys.
The recommendation is that, for anyone who decides to use acupuncture as a smoking cessation technique,
they have at least two treatments a week for three weeks, be taught some self acupuncture techniques to
do at home, and that they still participate in some sort of support group or therapy. Patients who
respond to acupuncture should start noticing changes within three weeks, which may encourage them to
continue further.
As we turn to laser therapy, which uses the same principles but, instead of needles, obviously laser,
the same criticisms that acupuncture got are applied, even though it's growing as a user requested
method of smoking cessation fairly quickly among practitioners. Some have said that not only is it
expensive and unproven, but it only works if the patient really wants to quit, because at best all it
will do is possibly reduce the cravings. It's been said that laser works by stimulating endorphins in
the body, giving people a sense of well being that they would get from cigarettes stimulating dopamine
in the brain.
Overall, it seems that the jury is still out on the effectiveness of either acupuncture or laser
therapy on their own for effective smoking cessation, but they are still alternatives for those
wishing to stay away from pharmaceuticals and willing to try something different.
