Cigarette smoking or more accurately, nicotine addiction is a very hard habit to stop. It is unhealthy because the smoke from the cigarette blocks the bronchial airways and may end up in the alveoli, which may cause emphysema and bronchitis. It also weakens the lungs thereby weakening the body of the individual.

Nicotine addiction like any addiction, allows the release of endorphins (chemicals in the body which when released gives the body a feeling of goodness and euphoria). The bad side to this is that addiction develops for nicotine to enable this feeling when craved for by the body. Nicotine addicts resort to nicotine patches to offset the harmful effects on the body caused by cigarette smoking. However, this is a mere palliative and really does not cure the addiction itself.

Cigarette smoking is oftentimes a reaction to a high emotional state. Fear, anxiety, stress or sadness can cause a person to smoke and get hooked to it. Acupuncture Overland Park is a treatment used by traditional Chinese medicine to battle addiction. It is a way to treat the root cause of this addiction caused by a high emotional state and to treat and stop the addiction, as well.

According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), in an extreme emotional state, the body develops a blockage of chi. Chi is the life force of that travels around the body through networks called meridians, similar to the blood traveling via the circulatory system. The free-flow of chi makes the body healthy and grow; when there is a blockage in the meridian, diseases, sicknesses and ailments develop.

Acupuncture is used for three reasons. First it removes the blockage caused by extreme emotions to enable the chi to free flow again. Second, it revitalizes the organs that have been affected by the blockage and third, it helps release endorphins in the body. The last one is very important since acupuncture allows the body to release endorphins without the influence of the addictive substance, which in this case, is nicotine. The addiction then begins to break.

No withdrawal symptoms occur because the body is not starved of endorphins and the craving becomes nonexistent.

Some have been long-time smokers and nicotine detoxification may take several months before the body is purged of any nicotine substance and the habit fully cured. Quitting cold turkey is very difficult and can lead to high blood pressure and cardiac problems. Many cured of nicotine addiction through acupuncture have experienced a new outlook in life. They become more optimistic, happier and more appreciative of life.

Acupuncture has cured millions of Americans from cigarette smoking and is the safest way to cure one’s smoking problems. It is also one of the cheapest ways to kick it.