If you’ve been trying to stop smoking the standard way with little success, you might be interested in this new research. According to a recent study published in the American Journal of Medicine, there is evidence that alternative forms of therapy like acupuncture and hypnosis may help smokers quit their nicotine addiction in just six months to one year.

Researchers led by Medhi Tahiri of McGill University in Montreal, Canada, looked at 14 different international studies and tried to determine whether alternative therapy could compete with conventional ways of quitting smoking. In some studies, it was reported that acupuncture patients were three times more likely to kick the habit any time from six months to one year. Hypnosis trials also showed similar results with participants having a better success rate than those who tried to quit by themselves.

These positive results, however, are not consistent. In a 2007 study from Taiwan, researchers looked at acupuncture’s effect on smoking and came up with less than impressive results. According to the study, only nine percent of the patients had quit after six months. Of the hypnosis trials, two may have showed success, but the other two produced less significant results.

At this point, it’s still too early to say whether alternative therapy could eventually become a popular form of treatment for smokers who want to quit. To find out which form of treatment would be best for your health, consulting your doctor is still a must.


(Photo by Maura D. via Flickr Creative Commons)