Weight Loss and Smoking Staple   We place a tiny surgical, stainless steel, staple on either the stomach point or the lung point, of the ear.  STOMACH POINT: By stimulating the stomach point, in the ear, it will send a signal to the brain, which will create the sensation of fullness or a loss of appetite. Most people will lose anywhere from 10 to 30 pounds a month.  LUNG POINT: By stimulating the lung point, of the ear, you will experience a strong distaste for smoking cigarettes. Most people say that they quit within 3 to 4 days, because it makes them feel nauseated every time they try to light one up. HOW EFFECTIVE IS THIS PROCEDURE? Statistically, approximately 20% experience an aggressive or exceptional degree of suppression, whereas about 60% experience a moderate suppression. An approximate 20% have a mild response or no response. There is no way to predict the effectiveness prior to staple insertion. The positive effect is not a mental placebo, but an actual physical reaction through acupuncture. ACUPUNCTURE: WHAT IS IT?   Acupuncture is a method of encouraging the body to promote natural healing and to improve function. This is done by inserting needles and/or using electrical stimulation at very precise acupuncture points.   HOW DOES ACUPUNCTURE WORK?    The classical Chinese explanation is that channels of energy run in regular patterns through the body and over its surface. These energy channels, called meridians, are like rivers flowing through the body to irrigate and nourish the tissues. An obstruction in the movement of these energy rivers is like a dam that backs up into the others. The meridians can be influenced by needling or stimulating the acupuncture points; the acupuncture needles unblock the obstructions and reestablish the regular flow through the meridians. Acupuncture treatments can therefore help the body’s internal organs to correct imbalances in proper function. The modern scientific explanation is that needling the acupuncture point stimulates the nervous system to release chemicals in the muscles, spinal cord, and brain. These chemicals will either change the experience of pain, or they will trigger the release of other chemicals and hormones which influence the body’s own internal regulating system. The improved energy and biochemical balance produced by acupuncture results in stimulating the body’s natural healing abilities, and in promoting physical and emotional well-being.   AURICULOTHERAPY:   Auriculotherapy, or ear acupuncture, is the practice of stimulating specific parts in the ear, which in-turn stimulate the body, via the autonomic nervous system. There are over 200 acupuncture points in the ear. Auriculotherapy is documented as far back as 500 B.C., in Greek and Chinese history. More than 40 years ago, French physician Dr. Paul Nogier first developed a "somatotopic" map of the human body and super imposed it onto the ear. Nogier's findings have been proven to be very accurate and have been adopted worldwide.   Here is a link to our main website for the staple:   www.acupunctureearstaple.com