The Great American Smokeout is coming on the third Thursday of November (Nov. 21). To promote healthy living and to give a boost to people who are ready to make the commitment to quit, Houston Acupuncture & Wellness, in St. Joseph Medical Plaza (Midtown) is offering free acupuncture treatments for smoking cessation for the entire week!
“Nobody has to be told that smoking is bad for their health,” says Kevin Leonard, L.Ac., HA&W’s founder and principle acupuncturist, “we all know that. But that doesn’t make dealing with nicotine withdrawal any easier. That is where acupuncture can really help.”
In the mid 1970’s, Medical Doctor Michael Smith, from Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx, developed a simplified protocol of ear acupuncture using just five points to give recovering addicts an option other than methadone to break their withdrawal symptoms. The method proved to be extremely effective in treating all manner of addictions, so in 1985, Smith founded the National Acupuncture Detox Association to spread the information. The treatment became known as the NADA protocol. It is this protocol that HA&W is offering for free during the third week of November.
“The thing is,” says Leonard, “acupuncture is not going to make you want to quit smoking. You’ve got to want that strongly enough for yourself. But once you quit, acupuncture can ease, or even eliminate the anxiety and stress that follows.”
Leonard recommends picking your quitting day and having your last cigarette no later than the night before. Have an appointment scheduled (required), and do not smoke that day. It is best if you throw away all of your remaining cigarettes to remove the temptation, and plan to avoid your biggest smoking triggers for the following days, like drinking alcohol and maybe even coffee.
But is one treatment enough? “Probably not,” Leonard warns. “But we offer follow-up sessions for just $10, not much more than the average cost of a pack of cigarettes in Houston.”
Houston Acupuncture & Wellness (www.HOUacu.com) is a “community acupuncture” clinic, where multiple people receive treatments in one large room. This enables HA&W to provide acupuncture much more affordably than the standard rates in Houston. The normal cost is a little higher than if you are just quitting smoking, but not by much. All manner of disorders, from musculo-skeletal pain, nerve pain and migraines, to digestive difficulties, insomnia, gynecological problems and even infertility, and many other problems, have all been shown to benefit from acupuncture and Chinese medicine.
Kevin Leonard is a Licensed Acupuncturist in Texas, holds a Master’s degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, and is nationally board certified with the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.
Contact: Kevin Leonard, 2101 Crawford St., Ste. 320 – Houston, TX 77098 – (832) 477-7887
1 comment
I must say that acupuncture is a great method for quit smoking but in my case one particular top e-cigarette that really helped me to actually quit smoking had to be this eStick.