Smoking Treatment
Auriculotherapy has been used for years to treat addictions. It wasn’t until the last decade until the technique became very popular and is probably due to people becoming more health conscious about the risk of cigarette smoking and other addictions. When it comes to nicotine addiction Auriculotherapy tricks the body into thinking it is still receiving nicotine when it is not. The way it does this is by stimulating natural chemicals called “Endorphins”. The brain has specific neuroreceptors that nicotine binds to when the substance is ingested. The endorphins also fit these receptors. By manipulating these receptors with Auriculotherapy we are able to make the endorphins lock to them. The body thinks it is nicotine so there is no withdraw symptoms. This will last for 1-2 weeks and possibly longer. During the first few weeks getting over an addiction is the hardest. Without the exposure to nicotine the body will slowly lose its addictive neurological pathway. When this happens the body will no longer crave the substance. Auriculotherapy buys the time for this to happen. Some people respond differently as each person’s physiology is different. For some, the reaction may be short lived and for others it will last long enough for the body to rewire itself and reestablish normal neurologic pathways. If the reaction is short lived more treatments will be required to get over the addiction.
Typically one treatment is all that is necessary and 75% of patients quit with one treatment. Overall 4 out of 5 patients will quit with Auriculotherapy. Auriculotherapy will get you 75% of the way to getting over the addiction. You will be left with about 25% of the cravings. You should have no problem dealing with this. This is why even with Auriculotherapy you have to be willing to quit. You will have to have motivation. For those not ready to quit, you will cave at the very slightest craving. If you are thinking about Auriculotherapy for smoking cessation or any other addiction, be prepared to want to quit.
There a two parts to an addiction. One is physical or physiological and the other is psychological. Auriculotherapy deals with the physical addiction or rather the body’s actually craving for the substance. If you ever seen an alcoholic go though withdrawal then you can understand what I mean. With alcohol withdrawal patients can develop delirium tremens or what is more commonly known as the “DT’s'” The DT’s include profound confusion, disorientation, hallucinations, hyperactivity, and extreme cardiovascular disturbances. This is the body’s symptoms of physical withdraw from the substance. Psychological dependence with nicotine includes many associations you have developed such as having a cigarette first thing in the morning, with coffee or having a cigarette after you eat. This psychological portion of the addiction will still remain but with the body’s physical need for the substance gone, it is much easier to deal with and will go away with time.
After treatment you are to have NO nicotine. This means no patches gums or inhalers. Your body does not care whether the nicotine is from a cigarette, cigar or chewing tobacco or from the above listed products. By ingesting nicotine the addiction will begin to reestablish itself. The addiction pathway you have established for nicotine is still there. The brain has a memory of this. With Auriculotherapy we desensitized the neuroreceptors that nicotine binds to. Remember we did this by creating endorphins and manipulating the receptors. Each exposure to nicotine whether it from a patch, gum or a cigarette will slowly turn these receptors back on. As more and more are turned back on or reprogrammed by the exposure to nicotine, you become once again addicted. Once a smoker always a smoker, there is no such thing as “I can have just one”. What I have just explained to you is the reason why.
Cost?
When you compare the cost of our treatment compared to other treatments for smoking cessation you'll find that the cost is very reasonable. It's really affordable when consider the cost of continuing to smoke. Our price for Smoking Cessation is $125. The treatment includes two follow-up visits within 2 weeks of initial treatment (if needed).
Why Choose Us?
We were the first Clinic in St. Clair County to offer this unique treatment for smokers. Dr. Peck is certified in acupuncture and has received additional training to insure you are getting the best treatment available. Dr. Peck uses state of the art equipment to perform Auriculotherapy, the same equipment used by the Auriculotherapy Certification Institute (ACI) and is considered the benchmark in the industry. Our equipment will find the points that need to be treated, there is no guess work. Our equipment has all the features needed to treat nicotine addiction successfully. Dr. Peck has been performing Auriculotherapy for over 15 years and has performed thousands of successful treatments. Dr. Peck's protocol for smoking cessation is highly guarded and has been modified and tweaked over the years to give you the best chance of beating the addiction. Dr. Peck was featured in the Belleville News Democrat for his expertise on the subject.