Acupuncture therapy for the treatment of tobacco smoking addiction

Abstract

Acupuncture has been reported as an effective treatment for some addictions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate acupuncture treatment effect on the cigarette smoking habit with a motivated population in a controlled clinical setting. From a volunteer research population, sixteen matched pairs were assembled according to age, sex, and severity of smoking habit. Research subjects were randomly assigned to real or sham acupuncture treatment groups. Self-reported cigarette logs were measured pre-treatment and post-treatment. Analysis of variants confirmed homogeneity of group pre-treatment cigarette consumption. Cigarette consumption significantly decreased in both th e real and sham treatment groups. Treatment group, age, sex, or severity of smoking habit were not significant factors in treatment effects for cessation of smoking. Legitimate crossover treatment for sham research group showed a significant decrease (p less than or equal to 0.05) in cigarette consumption; this change was not statistically different from change in cigarette consumption during placebo treatment. A discussion of acupuncture point selection rationale is made as is an analysis of Tehchi sensations and subjective reports of appetite for cigarettes. Acupuncture did not enhance the cessation of cigarette smoking in this study.