Efetividade da auriculoterapia na redução/cessação do tabagismo

Abstract

Smoking is one of the ways most harmful and hazardous to health and can, therefore, be considered the largest preventable cause of death and of increasing incidence in the world. The Auriculotherapy can be used as a modality of treatment for tobacco control; however, its effectiveness still remains controversial. In this way, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Auricular therapy in smoking cessation/reduction. There was conducted a controlled clinical trial, randomized and double blind with 30 workers smokers from three contractors that offer services to a Southern Federal University of Minas Gerais. The study subjects were divided by stratified randomization by the level of nicotine dependence in two arms: Group Experiment (21 individuals who received the Auriculotherapy at specific points to smoking) and control group (09 individuals who received the Auriculotherapy in points that have no effect on the focus of research). The treatment using mustard seed was conducted in two sessions per week, for five weeks, with alternation of pinna at every session. The research subjects were evaluated at the beginning of the 5th session, 7th session, the 10th session (final evaluation) and follow-up (30 days) by using the Fagerström test for Nicotine Dependence and for the measurement of carbon monoxide in exhaled air. For data analysis, were used the Shapiro-Wilk test, Chi-square, Student t-test, Wilcoxon test and Mann-Whitney. The characterization of the subjects of study came about by: female (66.7%); average age of 41; married (70%); family monthly income up to five minimum wages (90%). As results, reducing the number of cigarettes consumed (NCC) occurred in 61.9% of the participants in the Experimental Group (p = 0.002), with a reduction in variation from 1 to 23 cigarettes. To the participants in the control groups, the rate of reduction was 33.3% (p = 0.102), with variation from two to 20 cigarettes. As regards exhaled carbon monoxide (COex), there was a significant difference of 6 ppm between the groups for the association between the Follow-up and the initial measurement (p = 0.021) so that the Experimental Group reduced about 3, 6 ppm of Coex while the Controlled Group increased the level in 2, 4 ppm. For individuals in the Experimental group, 38% left presenting difficulties to stay without smoking in prohibited places (p = 0.050), 23.8% were reporting no smoking when bedridden by illness (p = 0.025). The Auriculotherapy treatment has efficacy on reducing the number of cigarettes consumed, therefore, it is suggested that future work consider this effectiveness, as well as the use of the same combined with other treatment methods those include, among other things, the identification of the state of motivation prior to starting treatment and promote counseling and motivational strategies in order to achieve best results of termination/abstinence.