Acupuncture to Help You Quit Smoking

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese treatment that involves applying very thin needles to specific points on the body. Acupuncturists have used this method to treat various addictions, including alcoholism and cocaine. This alternative therapy is also thought to help people who are trying to break their addiction to nicotine. It is not clear exactly how acupuncture works. It has been suggested that the insertion of needles causes the release of certain neurotransmitters that play a role in addiction and withdrawal. Could it help you?

While there have been a lot of studies on acupuncture, the evidence has not been conclusive. Researchers typically compare real acupuncture to a "sham" version, which means applying the needles to fake acupuncture points. A number of studies, including reviews of trials, have found conflicting results. In a recent large analysis of 7 trials comparing real and sham acupuncture, researchers concluded that real acupuncture may help people quit smoking for a short period of time. But, the treatment was not helpful when looking 6-12 months after the quit date. Another review of 6 trials concluded that acupuncture still did help people quit and stay tobacco free for up to 12 months. More rigoriously done randomized trials will likely need to be done to help clarify whether acupuncture has a true benefit for smoking cessation.

If you are trying to become smoke-free and are interested in trying acupuncture, ask your doctor for a referral to an acupuncturist. You can also find information online by researching professional organizations, like the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture. Overall, acupuncture is a safe treatment with few risks. The best evidence available shows that it may at least have some short-term benefits for quitting smoking.

RESOURCES

American Academy of Medical Acupuncture http://www.medicalacupuncture.org

American Lung Association http://www.lungusa.org

CANADIAN RESOURCES

Canadian Lung Association http://www.lung.ca/home-accueil%5Fe.php

Health Canada http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/index%5Fe.html

References

Acupuncture. EBSCO Natural and Alternative Treatments website. Available at: http://www.ebscohost.com/healthLibrary/. Updated September 26, 2012. Accessed January 25, 2013.

Tahiri M, Mottillo S, Joseph L, et al. Alternative smoking cessation aids: a meta-anaylsis of randomized controlled trials. Am J Med. 2012;125(6):576-584.

Tobacco use disorder. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed/what. Updated January 24, 2013. Accessed January 25, 2013.

White A, Moody R. The effects of auricular acupuncture on smoking cessation may not depend on the point chosen—an exploratory meta-analysis. Acupuncture Med. 2006;24:149-56.

2/28/2011 DynaMed's Systematic Literature Surveillance DynaMed's Systematic Literature Surveillance: White A, Rampes H, Liu J, Stead L, Campbell J. Acupuncture and related interventions for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2011;(1):CD000009