Stop Smoking Now Aids

Massage may help smokers resist cravings!

NEW YORK, April 28, 2001 (Reuters Health) — Individuals who are trying to give up smoking may find relief in massage, which has been shown to improve mood and reduce levels of anxiety and stress hormones.

According to a study in the journal Preventive Medicine, about 25% of American adults smoke cigarettes. Smoking has been linked to increased risks of heart disease, stroke, elevated cholesterol levels, and cancer. While Gallup polls have found that about 75% of smokers would like to quit, smoking cessation programs and medical interventions have had little effect. One reason, say researchers, is the symptoms that accompany withdrawal from nicotine, including anxiety. ‘Research suggests that massage therapy reduces anxiety,’ explain Dr. Maria Hernandez-Reif and colleagues with the Touch Research Institute at Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Their study included 20 adult smokers between 21 and 45 years old. The ten male and ten female subjects reported smoking an average of 14.5 cigarettes a day, 85% had been smoking for at least five years, and 70% had attempted to quit smoking at least once.

Researchers randomly assigned participants to a self-massage treatment group or a control group. The treatment group were taught to perform a five-minute hand or ear self-massage three times a day during ‘cravings’ for a month.

Results, based on self-reports, showed that the massage group was less anxious, had fewer withdrawal symptoms and smoked fewer cigarettes than the control group.

‘The present findings suggest that self-massage may be an effective adjunct treatment for adults attempting smoking cessation to alleviate smoking-related anxiety, reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms, improve mood, and reduce the number of cigarettes smoked,’ the authors conclude.

The mechanism by which massage works remains unclear, however. Researchers suggest that self-massage may give smokers something to do with their hands and may ‘thereby assist in achieving smoking reduction and potentially smoking cessation.’

The authors add that other alternative therapies, including acupuncture and hypnosis, may help to curb cigarette cravings.

SOURCE: Preventive Medicine 1999;28;28-32.