OBJECTIVES: This study examined the effect of acupuncture alone and in 
combination with education on smoking cessation and cigarette consumption.
METHODS: We prospectively studied 141 adults in a quasi-factorial design using 
acupuncture, sham acupuncture, and education.
RESULTS: All groups showed significant reductions in smoking and posttreatment 
cigarette consumption, with the combined acupuncture-education group showing the 
greatest effect from treatment. The trend continued in follow-up; however, 
significant differences were not maintained. Greater pack-year history (i.e. the 
number of years smoking multiplied by baseline number of cigarettes smoked per 
year, divided by 20 cigarettes per pack) negatively correlated with treatment 
effect. Trend analysis suggested 20 pack-years as the cutoff point for this 
correlation.
CONCLUSIONS: Acupuncture and education, alone and in combination, significantly 
reduce smoking; however, combined they show a significantly greater effect, as 
seen in subjects with a greater pack-year history.