Stop-Smoking Technique is Based on Stimulation of the Outer Ear
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By: Amy Bertrand
St. Louis Post-Dispatch,
2/27/2006
Q: I read about a woman in one of your stories who used
auriculotherapy to stop smoking. Exactly what is
auriculotherapy, and where can I get it done? - S.H., University
City
A: Auriculotherapy is a technique to help people stop
smoking, using stimulation to the exterior of the ear to help
take the patient past the withdrawal stage. It works sort of
like acupuncture.
"That way they don't experience typical withdrawal symptoms,"
said Cathy DeVille, director of the Leslie-CamŽ Smoking
Cessation Center in Chesterfield. DeVille says her center has
treated about 40,000 people over a 14-year period, with an 85
percent success rate.
Not all auriculotherapy is the same, says DeVille. The type
she offers uses electrical pulses and limits those pulses to the
area of the ear where the nerve endings correspond to pressure
points.
"It feels like a slight heat or pressure sensation," says
DeVille. "And all it takes is one treatment for most people."
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