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Smoking Cessation Treatments Free

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By LAURA FRAZIER, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 14, 2007

Updated: 11/12/2007 10:53 pm

BRANDON - Tara Castleberry has quit smoking on New Year's Eve for the past 13 years, only to resume the habit on New Year's Day.

To kick her pack-and-a-half-a-day habit, the Brandon woman tried nicotine patches and gum, group hypnosis and prescription medications she said made her "feel bipolar."

"I'd always justify going back to it because there was something stressful going on in my life or it just wasn't the right time to do it. I could never seem to get past the 24-hour point," Castleberry said.

Last week she cleared the 24-hour hurdle after her third treatment at Bloomingdale Acupuncture & Nutrition Center. She was confident her fourth session on Nov. 8 would be the last she needed to quit for good.

In conjunction with the American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout on Thursday, the center will offer free ear acupressure treatments from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.. Appointments are not necessary for the 15-minute treatment. Four treatments typically cost about $260.

Guillermo Caceres administered Castleberry's treatments at the center on Bloomingdale Avenue. The certified acupuncture detoxification specialist uses full-body acupuncture, acupressure and auricular therapy, or acupuncture of the outer ear, to treat smokers for stress and energy imbalances that, he said, perpetuate the habit. He also recommends a homeopathic detoxification regimen, using organic nutritional supplements, to rid the body of nicotine and other toxins.

More than 100 Brandon-area smokers have been treated for smoking cessation at the center since it opened in 2005, Caceres said. He learned the technique at Lincoln Hospital in New York, where they use it to treat crack cocaine addicts.

A majority of smokers, Caceres said, report a decreased compulsion to light up and a physical distaste for cigarettes after one treatment. Most are able to quit - without typical withdrawal symptoms - after four sessions.

On Thursday, the doctor used needle-free acupressure to gently press tiny seeds from a vaccaria plant into Castleberry's outer ear - a pressure point - then secured the seeds there with bits of surgical tape. The seeds will remain in place for about a week.

Castleberry said the seeding treatment is painless. As she prepared for a full-body needle treatment, she said, "I really thought it was going to hurt, but I would say a single fire ant bite is a hundred times worse than what acupuncture feels like."

After three treatments administered during the course of two weeks, Castleberry said her nicotine cravings are comfortably at bay, along with cravings for junk food and sugar. She also noticed a dramatic increase in energy.

On Sunday morning, the Brandon woman took her children to the park, but instead of driving as they usually do, they decided to walk.

"We wound up doing a two and a half mile circuit," she said. "That's unheard of for me. I am usually as lazy as the day is long. Not only do I not want a cigarette, but I'm remarkably rested and feel more energy. I'm elated."

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Free acupressure treatments for smoking cessation for the American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout
WHERE: Bloomingdale Acupuncture & Nutrition Center, 110 E. Bloomingdale Ave., Brandon

WHEN: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thursday

INFO: (813) 341-2200

Reporter Laura Frazier can be reached at (813) 657-4523 or lfrazier@tampatrib.com.

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