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NICOTINE ADDICTION AND ACUPUNCTURE
DR. MURAT TOPOĞLU
GENERAL SECRETARY OF TURKISH ACUPUNCTURE
ASSOCIATION
Representative examples from America:
• In America, 925.000 of people die of heart-attack
and hyper-tension every year,
• FDA has declared that 440.000 of this number
is due to the smoking habit
• In America, 75 million of people are smoke-addicted.
48 million of those consult in order to give up
smoking; unfortunately 46 million of them become
unsuccessful,
• Nicotine addiction is more serious than those
of cocaine, marihuana and alcohol addiction,
• Smoking causes more deaths than those of AIDS
in America,
• More or less, 75 million Americans expend 80
million packets of cigarette every day,
• Every year 23 milliard $ is spent for medical
expenses,
• WHO declared that every year 5 million people
die of diseases due to smoking,
• This number will reach to 10 million in 2030,
• As a matter of fact, at every 7 second a human
being loses his/her life because of that,
• The lesser the casualties in traffic accidents,
the higher the deaths due to smoking,
• In 2002:
• When casualties due to traffic accidents were
20885,
• The casualties due to smoking became 106.000,
• Namely, it is 37 times greater in comparison
to traffic accidents,
• In Turkey, there are 17 million of cigarette-addicts,
• Every day, 17 million $ is expanded for
smoking and for a year is equal to 6.5 milliard
$.
Nicotine Addiction
• 1- Plays a vital role in the formation of lung
cancer (it has 2-3 times greater risk in
comparison to non-smokers),
• 2- Reduces the oxygen transport to the tissues
from %15 to % 33 and this may cause to heart and
brain ischemic attacks, low birth weight and
miscarriages among pregnant,
• 3- Increases the cholesterol level along with
other various fat fractions heightening the risk
of infarction,
• 4- Has a vasoconstrictor effect on the veins
causing to raise the systemic tension.
Furthermore, brings about the formation of foot
ulcers, arterial vein insufficiency and
blockages (Burger Disease),
• 5- In case of having Diabetes Mellitus, plays
the increasing role of nerve and kidney diseases,
• 6- Aptness to influenza and lung infections,
• 7- Predisposing factor for mouth, throat,
larynx and urinary blader cancers,
• 8- Has the feature of increasing the blood
sugar,
• 9- May lead to impotence in men.
Why is it hard to escape from nicotine?
There are two reasons:
1- Nicotine causes high level organic addiction
and as a matter of fact, abstinence symptoms
concerning giving up smoking are high. These are:
• Anxiety,
• To sweat,
• Become irritable too quickly,
• Headache,
• Diarrhea,
• Constipation,
• Fatigue,
• Vertigo,
• Insomnia,
• Insensibility in tongue and head, feeling of
becoming swollen or emptiness,
• Less concentration,
• Lack of attention,
• All these symptoms occur in the day after the
quitting.
2- Most of the people are addicted to smoking
psychologically. Addicts build a routine,
and a daily relationship (i.e. brushing their
teeth, washing their faces) with the cigarette.
• They think that smoking helps them to start a
day,
• Whenever s/he feels down or happy wants to
enjoy the moment with cigarette,
• They think that smoking relaxes them.
How to get ready for giving up?
• Telling the individual (both by the doctor and
the surroundings) how one will win
his/her health back once smoking is given up,
• Finding another types of interests to relax,
• Providing family and friends support and not
smoking around especially for the very first
month,
• Deciding the quitting day (especially Ramadan
can be a good starting point),
• Explaining how quitting suddenly can be more
successive in spite of giving up smoking in
terms of reducing (getting rid of the gangrened
tissue by cutting it off).
Methods Besides Acupuncture
1- Giving up smoking by forcing one’s own will
without getting any type of medical support,
2- Using substances which include nicotine:
a- Chewing gum (nicorette),
b- Band (Nicotrol, Nicoderm, Prostep),
c- Aerosol.
3- Hypnosis,
4- Psychotherapy (especially group psychotherapy),
5- Medicine treatment, Bupropion Hydrochloride (Zyban)
must start to use 8-10 days prior to the
quitting day.
The advantages of giving up smoking
• First of all, reminding that the skin and
mouth will smell nicotine,
• Again, by not using nicotine there will be no
pollution in the house, office and surrounding,
• When giving up smoking through acupuncture,
tension and heart-beat impetus will be regulated
at the 20th minute,
• After 8 hours, the oxygen level in the blood
will draw closer to the normal,
• After 48 hours, the regeneration of the nerve
cells will increase (especially the augmentation
of smell and taste senses),
• After two weeks the capacity of the lung will
be increased by %30,
• Between two weeks and 3 months, the blood
circulation will be improved more and
consequently one will not get out of breath
while walking,
• Must have been told that after a year, heart
and coroner disease risks will be reduced by
%50.
Other issues which a patient must be aware of
when giving up smoking
• Even though the physical addiction is perished
within the first 3 months, psychological
addiction will continue for a long time.
Therefore, the chances are that one can start
smoking again. Generally a single cigarette can
take the addict to his/her former smoking
addiction.
• Hence, whenever s/he is offered a cigarette
the answer must be “No thanks, I have GIVEN UP”,
instead of “No thanks, I’d better not”. So that,
one is more admired and envied and this would
give him/her a psychological satisfaction.
One also must have been told that mostly in the
first two weeks, despite the fact that s/he may
develop an appetite and gain a bit of weight (1
to 4 kg) this is definitely not an important
issue to worry about because when applied both
loosing weight and giving up smoking at the same
time there is a possibility to fail. So,
starting from the one which has priority over
the other for the person is more accurate.
• Especially coffee and alcohol should not be
taken for a week and black tea must be expended
plain and little,
• During the course of the treatment, minimum
2-3 liters of liquid, especially WATER, must be
expanded,
• Specifically for the first week, one should
keep away from the smoking places.
ACUPUNCTURE’S EFFECT MECHANISM
• Nicotine inhibits the receptors in brain which
secrete endogen opiate hence, once nicotine is
expelled, acupuncture stimulates those receptors
causing them to secrete opiates making one
calmer and reduces the abstinence symptoms in
person.
ACUPUNCTURE TREATMENT
• Session number: 6-10 (extended in 2 weeks),
• Session frequency: The first 2-3 sessions are
approximately everyday. Afterwards, every other
day or one session every 2 days.
• Session duration: First session is 20 minutes
and the followings can be extending 30 minutes.
Acupuncture Treatment Methods
EAR ACUPUNCTURE
It has to be applied on the first visit of the
patient. Permanent needles which we call “Press
needle” are attached to ear in order to remain
there for 4-7 days.
• After a week, ear points must be changed by
taking into consideration the measurement values,
• In case of the desire for smoking, 30 times
circular pressure must be applied to the needles
which were attached to the ear by the patient’s
finger and afterwards the patient must take a
deep breath for 10 times (deep inhalation and
exhalation),
It should be inculcated to the patient that, in
spite of the desire for smoking especially in
the first 3 days can be sensed; gradually this
wish would vanish into thin air. Therefore, one
ought not to smoke at all for the first 3 days
because it is hard to quit smoking by reducing
it.
As a supporting treatment, calcium and 2000 mg C
vitamin per day must be given to the patient.
Ear Acupuncture Points:
Press needle (for one week will be stayed in the
ears)
Shenmen (unilateral), Lung, 1 or 2 related to
the measurement with contrlateral of the ear.
Moreover, during the course of the session (bilateral)
is pierced to the Anti-aggression point.
BODY ACUPUNCTURE POINTS
• Tim Mee: When drawn a straight line with a
distal angle of 45° towards the radius bone,
exists in the distal part and 0.5 cm radial
point of Lung 5 (LU7) (bilateral),
• LU7 can also be pierced (bilateral)
• GV 20 (Baihui)
• Yintang (Extra 1) Exists just in the middle of
the two eyebrows,
• LI 20: Along the nasolabial sulcus, the place
where intersects with the line drawn from side
wings, middle and small mounds of the nose,
Microsystem Acupuncture (Nose Acupuncture):
Gall bladder point: When a line is drawn exactly
on the middle part of the wing part of the nose,
starting from the highest point of the nose
until the point where nose unites with face
exists in the region in the place which os nasal
joins the cartilage shape (bilateral).
In resistance cases;
Especially beginning from the 2nd session
LI 4 (Hegu) Large Intestine 4 (bilateral)
LV 3 (Taichong) Liver 3 (bilateral)
These 4 points are also called as “BIG GATE”.
They have extremely relaxing feature.
In more resistant cases, on LI 4 and anti-aggression
points, bilateral 3-4 Hz/second frequency
electro-acupuncture can be applied.
PROGNOSIS
• There are many documents and publishings
relating to the general succession rate (which
is more or less %80-85),
• The possibility for an addict to start smoking
always exists. Especially, after the first three
months patients can begin smoking again,
• Hence, 2 weeks after the accomplishment of the
treatment, the patients should be kept under
control for 3-6-12 months and in case of need
acupuncture treatment (or “Point Injection
Therapy” which is used by some doctors in France)
should be applied again.
• This treatment can be applied to LU 7 point
with 1 ml Biotin (Vitamin H) Bilateral
subcutaneous in the periods mentioned just
before.
It should be told to the patients that there is
always a possibility to start smoking again and
therefore, they ought not to smoke even a single
cigarette at all.
In the meanwhile, it is observed that for those
who have given up smoking through acupuncture
and started again, acupuncture can still be
effective on those people.
Some Striking Substances Found In Cigarette:
• Paint unstitching acetone which is found in
industry,
• Rocket fuel methanol,
• Lighter gas butane,
• Accumulator metal cadmium,
• Industrial dissolver toluene,
• Rat poison arsenic,
• Purity substance ammonia,
• Vermin killer nicotine and DDT (dichloro
diphenyl trichloroethane),
• Hydrogen cyanide which is used in gas rooms
for execution,
• Radiation spreading radon,
• Nail polish unstitching acetone,
• Moth repeller naphthalene,
Are used when producing cigarettes.
NICOTINE-LETTER
• One starts with a zeal, lights every now and
then
• Smoking secretly, becomes addict when young,
• First it is gentle; its pungency cannot be
grasped,
• Not taking it in at all, lip-addiction,
• Solace, delight, and c’mon light a cigarette,
• Every addiction starts bit by bit,
• Like a false wedding, honeymoon vanishes too
quickly,
• Such a captivity worse than slavery,
• A new age starts, what’s done is done,
• You are captured by the nicotine monster,
• Neither child nor the old parents are
considered,
• Neither the society nor the traditions are
followed,
• The seed of selfishness is dropped,
• Altruist thoughts are thrown away,
• Both health and money is wasted unconsciously,
• All that counts is the cigarette, not any
other thing,
• There are some environmentalists; their lives
are a piece of baloney,
• One hand microphone, and on the other
cigarette,
• Oh, we have some hodjas as well, who
manipulate my people,
• Spread the rumors but light the poison
personally,
• You don’t have the right to get mad if we’ve
teased you a bit,
• It’s forbidden to hurt the body in our
religion,
• One is worthy of excluding if not follows the
law.
THE ULTIMATE BENEFITS OF SMOKING
• A smoker is not bitten by a dog because they
carry canes with them,
• Are not robbed because coughs ‘till the
morning light,
• Even a fly doesn’t perch on them because they
smoke nicotine a lot,
• Doesn’t tire him/herself because knows that s/he
will be out of breath if one becomes tired
• Doesn’t get old because they embraces his/her
friends on the other world too early,
• They are gentle because they can offer their
poisons to everyone,
• Their faces become more colorful than ever
because their tongues and moustaches turn into
bright yellow,
• Their bodies become as light as a bird’s
because first their fingers, then their hands
and feet will be cut as a consequence of the
circulation distort they’ll face in the long run,
No matter which commercial brand it will bear,
the products which have tobacco in their origin
carries a single etiquette on them:
CANCER
“HAVE FUN WITH YOUR SMOKE”
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