◎陳維真
Acupuncture and hypnosis have been promoted as drug-free ways to help smokers kick the habit, and there is some evidence that they work, according to a research review that looked at 14 international studies.
一項針對14份國際研究的文獻探討指出，針灸或催眠一向被推廣為不需用藥且能幫助吸菸者戒菸的方法，而且若干證據證實有效。
Researchers, whose findings appeared in the American Journal of Medicine, said that there are still plenty of questions, including exactly how effective alternative therapies might be and how they measure up against conventional methods to quit smoking.
在「美國醫學期刊」發表報告的研究人員表示，這種說法仍有許多疑問，包括這些另類療法到底多有效，以及和傳統戒菸方法的比較。
But the alternatives should still stand as options for smokers determined to break the habit. In general, smokers who want to quit should first try the standard approaches, which include nicotine-replacement therapy, medications and behavioral counseling.
不過這些另類療法仍可做為決心戒菸者的選擇。一般而言，想戒菸的人應該先嘗試標準戒菸法，包括尼古丁替代療法、藥物治療、行為諮商。
Researchers found that some studies showed that smokers subjected to acupuncture were more than three times as likely to be tobacco-free six months to a year later. Similarly, across four trials of hypnosis, smokers had a higher success rate with the therapy compared to people who had minimal help.
研究學者發現，有些研究顯示，接受針灸的吸菸者，6個月至1年後不抽菸的機率可達3倍以上。同樣的，經過4次催眠，接受催眠治療的吸菸者，戒菸成功的機率比只受到最少幫助的人更高。
But there were some caveats, researchers said. The success rate was not consistent in all the tests conducted, although the broad trends pointed to the benefits of alternate treatment.（Reuters）
不過研究人員說，有幾點要警告，儘管主要趨勢指出另類療法的好處，但以全部的實驗來看，成功率並不一致。（路透）
新聞辭典：
kick the habit：片語，戒除難以戒掉的習慣，特別是戒毒、戒菸、戒酒。例句：No coffee for me, thanks. I’m trying to kick the habit. （我不用咖啡，謝謝。我正試著戒掉喝咖啡的習慣。）
measure up against：片語，將人或物擺在一起比較。例句：Please measure Fred up against Tom and see who has the best qualifications. （請將Fred和Tom擺在一起比較，看誰的條件最好。）
caveat：名詞，警告。例句：The look of doubt on his face prompted me to repeat the caveat.（他臉上疑惑的表情讓我再重複說一次警告。）
文章出處：自由時報電子報中英對照新聞
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