Researchers have published a plan for a new clinical trial that will test whether adding a type of acupuncture to standard nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) can help people with tobacco use disorder quit smoking. The study, which has not yet started, will involve 220 participants and will be conducted in a real-world clinical setting.
The trial will compare two groups: one receiving harmonizing mind acupuncture (HMA) plus NRT, and the other receiving NRT alone. The main goals are to measure changes in nicotine craving using a visual analog scale and to check if participants have stopped smoking for at least seven days, verified by exhaled carbon monoxide levels, at the six-week mark.
The researchers will also track quality of life, sleep, mood, and safety outcomes over a 24-week follow-up period. However, because this is a protocol, no results are available yet. The study aims to see if adding acupuncture to standard treatment could offer extra benefits for people trying to quit smoking.
It is important to note that this is a plan for a future study, not a report of findings. The effectiveness and safety of this approach are not yet known. Readers should wait for the results before drawing any conclusions.
