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Effect and Potential Mechanism of Auricular Acupressure Normalizes the FEV1 in Young Smokers

Thursday, 15 July 2010

Mei-Ling Yeh, PhD, RN
Mei-Ling Chung, MSN
School of Nursing, National Taipei College of Nursing, Taipei, Taiwan

Learning Objective 1: understand the effect of Auricular Acupressure for young Smokers to quit

Learning Objective 2: understand the potential mechanism of Auricular Acupressure Normalizes the FEV1 in young Smokers

Purpose: About 31% to 38% of male college students use tobacco. Failure to stop smoking may result in increased smoking intensity and cumulative cigarette consumption, increased susceptibility to autoimmune diseases, higher risk of metabolic disorders, ischemic stroke, and early decline in lung function. Auricular acupressure can decrease smoking, but the effect in FEV1 is unclear.

Methods: A convenience sample of 64 participants was recruited from one university and was assigned to the Auricular Acupressure (AA) or control group. Researcher collected objective physical and subjective psychological data at baseline and after the 10-week intervention. To adjust for the covariates and time effect generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used.

Results: The AA group showed significant effects on refusal smoking self-efficacy and nicotine dependence. After adjusting the covariates of age, age at initiation of smoking, peer smoking, parental smoking, quit attempts, refusal smoking self-efficacy, nicotine dependence, and FVC, the AA group present a significant effect on FEV1 (Beta=3.66, z=4.46, P=.04).

Conclusion: The findings suggest auricular acupressure may have a potential effect to normalize FEV1 in young smokers. The contribution from some catecholamines, such as β- endorphin, epinephrine, serotonin released, and corticotrophin-releasing factor inhibited, to reduce nicotine dependence to enhance refusal smoking self-efficacy that achieve a status of smoking abstinence. May mitigate the airway symptoms and facilitated bronchial dilation that caused the FEV1 normalization in young smokers. Further generalize the hypotheses through more studies in different population are needed.

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