Zerosmoke™ is a product designed to help people quit smoking using magnetic auricular therapy and basic pressure point treatment. Using the premise that pressure points can alleviate smoking tendencies by stimulating endorphins that reduce cravings, this commercial product claims a typical smoker can kick the habit in as little as seven days.
Zerosmoke™ comes complete with two magnets and an instruction manual with tips to help smokers stop smoking. The product works in a simple manner: It includes both a small and large magnet coated in 24-carat gold, which is said to decrease allergic response to ear tissue. Each day, a user is expected to place both magnets on his or her ear — the large one gets placed behind the ear, the smaller in front — for three to four hours daily.
It’s recommended to do this at home during relaxing parts of the day. These magnets do not pierce the skin, nor should they leave any markings on the ear. Side effects can include tissue tenderness, which can be remedied by removing the magnets or rotating them from ear to ear. Zerosmoke™ doesn't recommend its product for those who are pregnant or have pacemakers.
While completing this therapy, users are allowed to continue smoking. Throughout the first week, the stimulation caused by the magnets is expected to reduce cravings enough so that after the seventh day, a user can stop smoking altogether. The manufacturer recommends that the magnets be worn for an additional 20 to 25 days, however. Zerosmoke™ is widely available for purchase on the Internet, both through the company itself and other vendors.
The Zerosmoke™ magnets tap into auricular therapy, which is a form of alternative medicine that uses the premise that the ear is a micro system, and that the auricle, or outer portion of the ear, represents the body. Stimulating the auricle can treat various ailments, although this claim is not supported by scientific evidence.
Dr. Paul Nogier pioneered the study of auricular therapy in the 1950s. During treatments to the ear, he noticed corresponding reactions to the ear’s pressure points. He found that pain in virtually any part of the body could be relieved by simple pressure point treatments to the ear. The U.S. National Institutes of Health gave conditional approval to acupuncture as a form of treatment. There are numerous quit smoking options using auricular therapy advertised on the Internet. Other names for this therapy include ear acupuncture, auriculotherapy and auriculo acupuncture.