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Related Experiment Videos

Acupuncture for smoking cessation.

A R White1, H Rampes, E Ernst

  • 1Department of Complementary Medicine, University of Exeter, 25 Victoria Park Road, Exeter, UK, EX2 4NT. a.r.white@exeter.ac.uk

The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|June 22, 2002
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Acupuncture and related therapies show no clear effectiveness for smoking cessation. Studies found no significant difference compared to sham treatments or other interventions for quitting smoking.

Area of Science:

  • Complementary and Alternative Medicine
  • Public Health
  • Addiction Medicine

Background:

  • Acupuncture and related techniques are often promoted for smoking cessation.
  • The belief is that these methods may alleviate nicotine withdrawal symptoms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture, acupressure, laser therapy, and electrostimulation for smoking cessation.
  • Comparisons were made against sham treatments, other interventions, and no intervention.

Main Methods:

  • A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
  • Searched multiple databases including Cochrane, Medline, Embase, and PsycINFO up to January 2002.
  • Assessed smoking abstinence using rigorous definitions and biochemical validation where available, with lost participants counted as smokers.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Acupuncture was not superior to sham acupuncture for smoking cessation at any follow-up point.
  • No significant differences were observed when comparing acupuncture to other anti-smoking interventions.
  • While early results suggested superiority over no intervention, this was not sustained. Acupressure showed potential over advice in single studies, but laser therapy and electrostimulation did not outperform sham methods.

Conclusions:

  • There is currently no clear evidence supporting the effectiveness of acupuncture, acupressure, laser therapy, or electrostimulation for smoking cessation.
  • Further research may be needed to definitively establish the role of these complementary therapies in smoking cessation programs.