There are no proven natural aids for treating cigarette
addiction. , especially in the form of ear acupuncture
(auriculopuncture) is widely used as a treatment for cigarette
addiction. However, a 1999 analysis of 12 did not find
acupuncture more effective than sham-acupuncture for smoking
cessation. A subsequent, double-blind, placebo-controlled study
of 330 adolescent smokers, conducted in 2000, also found no
benefit. Another analysis of 12 trials, done in 2011, found that
subjects who received real acupuncture had more success in
quitting smoking over the short-term compared to those in the
sham group. However, over the long-term, there was no difference
between the groups. From other studies in the same analysis,
researchers also found no evidence that acupuncture was more
effective, over the short- or long-term, than nicotine
replacement therapy (eg, gum or patch) or psychological
interventions. A review of 6 randomized controlled trials with
823 patients found acupuncture was over 3 times more effective