M.Tech. (Homoeopathy) / The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of homoeopathic hetero-isotherapeutic treatment to auricular acupuncture in smoking cessation. The study was a clinical trial, in which the two different treatment forms were compared. The study required sixty participants. The participants were paired and randomly divided into two groups. The first group received homoeopathic treatment, whilst the second group received auricular acupuncture treatment. The study took place over a six-week period, in which each participant completed a one-week screening period before and after the four-week treatment period began. During the initial consultation, participants were required to complete a questionnaire under the researcher's supervision. The questionnaire included the Fagerstrom tolerance test to determine the participant's dependence on nicotine. Each participant recorded a daily cigarette consumption log before, during and after treatment. Median values of the daily cigarette consumption were calculated and then statistically analysed. Prior to treatment, no significant different in daily cigarette consumption was found between the two groups. Consequent to treatment, both the auricular acupuncture group and the homoeopathic hetero-isotherapeutic group were found to show a significant decrease in the number of cigarettes smoked. At 6 weeks the cessation rate for the homoeopathic hetero-isotherapeutic group was 20%, and that of the auricular acupuncture group was 16.7%. Although there was no statistical difference between the two groups after treatment, the homoeopathic hetero-isotherapeutic treatment group showed a 3.3% improvement over the auricular acupuncture group. From the results, it was apparent that both the auricular acupunture treatment and the homoeopathic hetero-isotherapeutic treatment were effective in smoking cessation.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:11024 |
| Date | 13 May 2014 |
| Creators | Ferguson, Glenn |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | University of Johannesburg |
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