Acupuncture and related interventions for smoking cessation

Area of Science:

• Complementary and Alternative Medicine
• Public Health
• Addiction Medicine

Background:

• Acupuncture and related techniques are explored for smoking cessation, aiming to alleviate nicotine withdrawal.
• Belief in their efficacy stems from potential symptom reduction.

Purpose of the Study:

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

Main Methods:

• Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
• Searched multiple databases including Cochrane, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, AMED, and Chinese databases.
• Extracted data on study design, interventions, outcomes, and follow-up; assessed smoking abstinence at short-term and long-term points.

Main Results:

• Acupuncture showed no significant long-term benefit over waiting list controls or sham acupuncture.
• Acupressure demonstrated limited short-term benefits, but long-term data were lacking.
• Continuous auricular stimulation showed short-term benefits, particularly acupressure, but not acupuncture with indwelling needles.
• Laser stimulation results were inconsistent; electrostimulation was found ineffective for smoking cessation.
• Acupuncture was less effective than nicotine replacement therapy and not superior to psychological interventions.

Conclusions:

• No consistent, bias-free evidence supports long-term smoking cessation benefits from acupuncture, acupressure, or laser therapy.
• Methodological limitations prevent firm conclusions, though short-term effects are possible.
• Electrostimulation is not effective for smoking cessation.
• Further well-designed research on acupuncture, acupressure, and laser therapy is warranted due to their popularity and safety.