Abstract
Complementary and Alternative Medicine Therapies
Smoking addiction is a complex multifactorial health problem linked with many psychological and physical adverse consequences. People with smoking addiction need comprehensive assessment and diagnosis and also often require integrative therapies for the treatment of associated psychiatric (depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder) and physical comorbidities (cancers, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and lung diseases) in clinical settings. 1 –4 Notably, each patient with smoking addiction needs a personalized intervention plan mutually decided upon by the patient and healthcare provider.
A variety of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) modalities have been used for the prevention of smoking. 3,5 CAM therapies used for smoking addiction include: positive life-style and attitude, diet, exercise, education, counseling, behavioral therapies (including cognitive therapy), acupuncture, meditation, yoga, mindfulness, deep breathing exercises, qi gong, t'ai chi, massage, herbal treatments (valerian, wild lettuce, passion flower, bee balm tea, hawthorn, ginkgo biloba extract, rosemary tea, chamomile tea, skullcap tea, honey, sorghum syrup, oat straw tea, and essential oil of black peppercorn), homeopathic and Ayurvedic formulations, and naturopathy. These therapies are used alone or in combination for the treatment of patients with tobacco addiction, with a reported beneficial rate of 30–60%. 2 –4,6,7
Combinations of conventional medications (nicotine replacement therapy) and CAM interventions, especially mind–body practices, appear more effective than single approaches. Further research is needed to assess better the potential effectiveness of CAM therapies for the treatment of smoking addiction.