We've all heard the negative effects of smoking on our health. Have you ever thought about the negative effects smoking has on your pocketbook? Smokers that smoke a pack a day (and spend $5 a pack), spend $1,825 per year on cigarettes. That's $18,250 wasted over a decade!

Additionally, the Center for Disease Control estimated in 1999 that for every pack of cigarettes you purchase, you are spending an additional $7.18 in hidden costs due to increased health-care spending and lost productivity. So, now you can more than double the amount you are spending each year on a habit that will ultimately kill you.

So, quit already! My favorite approach involves the use of acupuncture. There are more than 300 acupuncture-based substance abuse programs in the United States. In a seminar I attended in the early 1990s the statistics then showed acupuncture to be 81 percent more effective than any other treatment methods for cigarette and drug use and the recidivism rate (the rate at which they start up again) was only 1 percent (compared to 11 percent nationally with other treatment options).

There are several components of acupuncture that aid in the quieting of compulsive behaviors such as cigarette smoking. Acupuncture can help to detoxify the body of the chemicals that are causing the addictive component to be triggered in the patient, help to curb cravings and can calm thoughtless actions, like reaching for a cigarette without thinking about it.

Furthermore, acupuncture treatments release endorphins. Considered by many to be the natural "feel good" chemical of the human body, endorphins promote feelings of health, positive thought processes, upbeat attitudes and promotes a sense of general well being. Many acupuncture patients report experiencing a feeling of calmness or even a faintly "buzzed" feeling after acupuncture. More than one patient has used the phrase "acupuncture glow" to describe the sensation they experience after their treatments, which can mirror the feeling many addicts experience when engaging in the behavior of their addiction, but without the compelling nature or harmful consequences of the addiction.

Furthermore, acupuncture works to calm anxiousness, irritability, weepiness, anger and other emotional challenges. It also helps suppress overeating so the individual doesn't gain weight. No other program I know of does all that.

Holly Carling is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Licensed Acupuncturist, Doctor of Naturopathy, Clinical Nutritionist and Master Herbologist with more than 32 years of experience. Carling is currently accepting new patients and offers natural health care services and whole food nutritional supplements in her Coeur d'Alene clinic. Visit Carling's website at www.vitalhealthandfitness.com to learn more about Carling, view a list of upcoming health classes and read other informative articles. Carling can be reached at (208) 765-1994 and would be happy to answer any questions regarding this topic.