By Will Griffin

Edited by Jamie Hoffman

 

Acupuncture is becoming a popular way for smokers to break their habit. Although it will not do all the work, Columbia acupuncturists have been successful in relieving the stress, anxiety and depression associated with quitting smoking.

For smokers, kicking the habit can be the most difficult process imaginable. But for those determined to quit, acupuncture may offer hope.

Several acupuncturists in the Columbia area have been successfully helping patients quit smoking. Dr. William Skelton, of The Acupuncture Clinic in Shandon, says he has helped 70 percent of his patients quit since he opened his practice in 1979.

“They have to be willing,” Skelton said. “And if people are spending money, they want to quit.”

There are two types of addicts, said Dr. Richard J. Koch an acupuncturist of the Chiropractic Family Health Center in Irmo. Some are addicted to nicotine. Others have oral fixations, and for them, acupuncture is more for behavior modification than for breaking the body’s demand for nicotine.

By inserting needles into five points in the outer ear, acupuncturists strive to relieve the stress, anxiety and depression associated with quitting. The needles are left in for 20 to 30 minutes while the patient reclines and listens to soft, soothing music.

The symptoms are the most severe during the first few days without tobacco, which is why many clinics have a two-session treatment.

“It takes 72 hours for the nicotine to get completely out of the system. The first treatment really helps,” said Dr. Selma Jones of the Acupuncture Center in Forest Acres. “The second is more of a booster to release endorphins, the feel good drugs.”

A third or fourth visit usually isn’t required, but for some, like Jones’ patient Nancy Bowman, it makes all the difference.

“She said it would take two treatments. Following the second day, I had a tremendous urge,” said Bowman, of Columbia. “I went in for a third treatment and I have never wanted another cigarette. On March 8, I will have been smoke free for one year.”

Dr. Martin Herbkersman, founder of the Palmetto Acupuncture Center, said stress mainly drives a person to reach for a smoke, and acupuncture is great for stress relief.

“It takes 21 days to make or break a habit,” Herbkersman said. “If a patient can get through that 21 days, they are on their way.” 

 Most acupuncturists also give their patients herbal supplements as liquid, teas and pills. But with all the gum, patches, nasal sprays, inhalers and prescription drugs such as Zyban, why use acupuncture?

“Acupuncture is a more natural way of quitting.” Herbkersman said. “It doesn’t involve the use of synthetic chemicals. The process contributes more to detoxing the body.” Needles are not the only form of acupuncture. Skelton, Jones and Herbkersman also use electroacupuncture, which simply places a small metal clip on the same parts of the ear and sends a small electric pulse into the clip.

Koch goes a step further and uses lasers. The laser is a “cold” laser, meaning it is a low level laser set at varying frequencies. He also uses small, BB-like metal balls that are placed on a circular bandage. The bandage is then applied to certain points on the ear, and a patient pushes the bandage whenever he or she has the urge to light up.

“In my experience, laser acupuncture is faster and more powerful than electroacupuncture and tends to work better,” Koch said.

As to the pain involved in treatment, Jones said patients need not worry. The needles used in acupuncture vary in size and are different from hypodermic needles.

Because the needles don’t inject or extract anything, they don’t have a hole in the middle. In most parts of the body, especially fatty areas, the needles aren’t felt. But because the ear is made up of cartilage, the insertion is felt, but only as “a tiny prick,” Jones said.

Acupuncture originated in ancient China, where it was believed the body contained 14 major channels of energy, or chi, that flowed down the body. The use of chi as a concept has become increasingly popular in alternative medicine in the United States. When the 14 energy channels, or meridians, became blocked, the result was pain or ill health, so acupuncture needles were inserted to break through the block and allow the chi to flow freely.