Quit Smoking!!!
This powerful program addresses all the concerns that come with quitting smoking including the physical addiction, weight loss, detoxification, and stress -- naturally. Nicotine addiction encompasses physical, emotional and mental components. These components are interdependent on one another. In order to achieve success for quitting smoking, all three aspects need to be addressed simultaneously.

Using a combination of acupuncture; stress management techniques; dietary counseling and homeopathy ... along with amino acid and nutritional supplementation ... this powerful program addresses all aspects of nicotine addiction in a natural, healthy manner.

The majority of people who have gone through this program have said that they have had very little or no desire to smoke after the initial visit. Because a major concern when quitting smoking is weight gain, the program safely addresses this issue. In fact, most people who go through this program actually lose weight (please see below “Why we gain weight”). Absolutely no stimulants are used. Emphasis is also placed on detoxification of carcinogens and toxic residues that accumulated in the body’s tissues while smoking.

Recovering from nicotine addiction is not something that happens overnight. The process takes several months. The goal of this program is to ease this difficult journey so that it is virtually effortless. Making it through the first three weeks is crucial and is the main focus of this program. Once over this major hump, the program requires much less intervention as it becomes easier and easier to resist the temptation. Research has shown that if you can make it to the six -month mark, there is a high probability that you will not start again. For this reason, after three weeks and up to six months, minor intervention is continued.

The Program
The entire program requires that you make two office visits per week for three weeks. Be prepared to quit the day you come in for your initial visit.

Your initial visit will take about 45 minutes and will include the following:

• A general health history.
  
  
• Identifying sources of stress or situations that may interfere with your progress.
  
  
• Fast and easy meditation and stress management techniques.
  
  
• Counseling on healthy dietary choices that will help make the transition easier and promote weight loss.
  
  
• You will receive two product essentials for rebalancing of neurotransmitters, eliminating cravings and detoxifying your tissues. We also include two ‘secret weapons’ for moments of weakness.
  
  
• Whole body and ear acupuncture as an initial powerful treatment for preventing cravings and significantly reducing stress. At the end of the treatment we will place ear seeds for continual stimulation of certain points. (For more information please read Acupuncture as part of the program).
  
  
• Follow up Visits - For the first three weeks you will come in twice per week for ear acupuncture. Each treatment takes about 20 minutes. During each visit, we will also review some crucial points of the program and offer ongoing encouragement.
  
  

Why is smoking so difficult to stop?
When we take one puff from a cigarette, the nicotine contained in the smoke reaches our brain and nervous system within seconds and we are rewarded with a reduction of tension and lifting of mood, compliments of dopamine, the neurotransmitter of pleasure. Under normal and healthy circumstances, dopamine is released when we experience such things as a loving, nurturing relationship, accomplishing a difficult task or witnessing amazing beauty in nature. That is where addiction comes in. The excessive production of dopamine in turn leads to a secondary problem, defective dopamine receptors. In other words, even if dopamine is being produced, the neurons no longer respond to it. In a sense they become numb. Sometimes our dopamine levels become so depleted from over stimulation that many of us get to a point where we are unable to achieve that “high” that we once did. Taking away any substance that simulates this high is often emotionally devastating due to the sudden drop in dopamine levels. When we quit smoking (or any addictive substance) depression, tension, irritability, insomnia, and poor concentration will often ensue. These symptoms often last anywhere from a few days to several months depending on how quickly the dopamine ‘system’ can recover. This leads to the next problem that many people experience when they quit smoking which is weight gain.

Why do we gain weight when we quit smoking?
In an effort to compensate for the sudden drop in dopamine that ensues from nicotine withdrawal, we will often turn to other avenues. One easy way to stimulate dopamine release is through overeating.

A Brief History of Acupuncture in the Treatment of Addiction
In 1972 a neurosurgeon in Hong Kong, H.L. Wen, discovered that acupuncture could relieve symptoms and cravings associated with drug withdrawal. Because of its effectiveness in relieving symptoms as well as preventing relapses, his discovery gained more and more popularity and was used in hospitals and detox centers throughout the US. 1985 an official protocol was developed and the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) was formed. The protocol involved using five specific acupuncture points on the ear. In August of 2000, Yale University School of Internal Medicine conducted research further demonstrating the effectiveness of the NADA protocol for cocaine, heroin and methadone addiction.

Acupuncture as Part of the Program
Because nicotine addiction operates through the same mechanisms as the cocaine, heroin and methadone, this protocol plays a significant role in the treatment of smoking cessation. While the NADA protocol has been shown to be helpful it is certainly not a “cure all”. However, it is central to the program for getting over the “initial hump” of quitting smoking. In addition to the NADA protocol, we employ additional points that are used for weight loss and food cravings.

What If I’m Afraid of Needles?
Acupuncture needles are very different from the painful, hollow-tipped hypodermic needles that are used to draw blood or administer injections. Acupuncture needles are significantly smaller and not hollow. Because they are not hollow, they don’t cause micro-tearing of the tissue which is what results in pain. Acupuncture needles truly are virtually painless. In fact, people rarely feel the insertion of the needle. The only sensation experienced is when the acupuncture point is activated which can result in tingling, heaviness or a mild electrical sensation. After receiving acupuncture most people experience what is described as a “high” accompanied by a feeling of calmness or enhanced sense of well being.

When is the best time to start the program?
When you are ready to quit for good!! Realistically, there is never a “good” time to quit smoking. Some people say it is easier if you are under less stress but this is not most people’s reality. There are several ‘cues’ that we experience in our daily routines that prompt us to smoke. For example, our morning and afternoon breaks at work, coming home after a hard day’s work, drinking alcohol. Anticipating a period in which you will have fewer ‘cues’ may help a little with the initial withdrawal. Women should start the program when they don’t have PMS.

Please call Frontier Medical Institute and ask for an appointment with our acupuncturist -- Karen Kurtak. Let us know that you wish to be involved in the stop smoking treatment.

Call (303) 233-4247 or toll-free (877) 548-4387, to schedule an appointment or for more information.