Effects Assessment of Auricular Acupuncture and Group Counseling for Smoking Cessation in Senior High School Students

Smoking is a serious public health problem since it harms not only the smokers but also other people in touch with the smokers.Many obstinate illnesses such as cancer,chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,cardiovascular disease are now be proven to be related to smoking itself.To help young smokers,particularly adolescent,quitting smoking can prevent more tobacco use.Some studies showed auricular acupuncture(AA)is increasingly used to treat chemical dependency and withdrawal symptoms based as it’s safe and effective.Moreover,group counseling can motivate young adults to set a quit date and strengthen their belief in quitting smoking via peer effects.The present study evaluates the effects of a 8-week smoking cessation courses consisting of AA and group counseling once per week on senior high school students aged from 15 to 18.The AA treatment was administrated at both side of ears on a weekly basis for six weeks.Clinicians gave an intensive counseling session assessing the readiness to quit,exploring smoking habits,and identifying barriers to smoking cessation and relapsing factors.Before each intervention,the 23 participants completed questionnaires and offered levels of carbon monoxide exhalation.The participants showed significant differences in levels of carbon monoxide exhalation,daily tobacco consumptions,reduction in the taste of tobacco and intensity of the desire to smoke after 6-week consecutive sessions.However,the smoking cessation success was only three cases(13%).Given limited and uncertain efficacy of AA for smoking cessation,though it’s non-invasive and safe,it’s better to combine AA with other methods not only for synergistic effects but also better smoking cessation success rate.

Factors associated with seeking western or Chinese medical treatment for fertility among women with breast cancer in Taiwan

OBJECTIVE: To examine and describe the use of Western and Chinese Medicine for pregnancy preparation among women with breast cancer after cancer-related treatment in Taiwan.METHODS: Women of reproductive age(20-49years) women who were treated for breast cancer from January 2011 through June 2015 in a Taiwan Residents city participated in the study. Of 306 eligible study participants, interviews were completed in197(64%). Participants were asked about sociodemographic variables, disease and treatment characteristics, their desire for fertility, and their use of Western or Chinese Medicine.RESULTS: The proportions of women who planned to use Western or Chinese Medicine to help achieve pregnancy were 17.3% and 14.7%, respectively. The result of binary logistic regression showed that current employment and lack of children were factors predictive of the use of Western Medicine. Younger age and the use of Chinese Medicine before treatment were predictors of using Chinese Medicine. While the desire for fertility preservation was related to the use of Western Medicine,the desire for pregnancy was related to the use of Chinese Medicine.CONCLUSION: Various characteristics guided the women's decisions to use Western or Chinese Medicine. Health care providers should learn patients' preferences for fertility preservation and provide appropriate advice, referring them to safe providers of their desired method of fertility treatment.