.:: GIVING UP SMOKING WITH ACUPUNCTURE ::.   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”