Who says it can't be done? Some 50 percent of all Americans who ever smoked have quit permanently. Good news for the other half: Advances in the understanding and medical treatment of nicotine addiction have now led to the highest success rates ever for those trying to quit the habit.

• Smoking is the biggest cause of death and illness in the United States. Nearly half a million Americans die each year from diseases caused by smoking.
• Quitting smoking reduces your chances of getting heart disease and cancer, and it may help you live longer.
• Most smokers find it hard to quit because they are addicted to nicotine. Addiction is a serious condition, and you can get help to overcome it.
• You have a better chance of quitting if you use nicotine replacement therapy and if you get professional help.
• An antidepressant drug called bupropion (brand name Zyban) helps many people quit. This drug can help you quit even if you aren't depressed.

Acupuncture is used to treat many conditions. It's based on the idea that an invisible life energy (known as Qi, which sounds like "chee") travels around the body along special pathways.

And when this energy flow gets blocked, people have health problems. An acupuncturist inserts thin sterile needles into the skin at certain places where energy is thought to be blocked. The needles are then twisted (either by hand or electrically) to free the energy flow.

Sometimes people get acupuncture to try to help reduce the withdrawal symptoms they get when they stop smoking. Usually, treatment starts some days before the person actually quits. Needles are inserted in the outer ear (or in other parts of the body) for 15 to 20 minutes. The treatment may be repeated over the following days.

Sometimes the acupuncturist inserts special needles that stay in place longer. Usually these needles are inserted into the outer ear and are kept there for several days with surgical tape.

Some acupuncturists use small seeds instead of needles. They attach the seeds to the body with tape. The seeds are usually left in place for a few days, and you can press them yourself when you feel the need. This is called acupressure. If you're trying to quit smoking, you may be told to press these points on your body when you feel like having a cigarette.

While acupuncture has been shown to be effective for selected conditions, there's no evidence that acupuncture helps people stop smoking.

Acupuncture has been used in the West for the past 30 years as an aid to quit smoking. Acupuncture had been found to help people in Hong Kong stop smoking opium. One study found that people who had acupuncture when they were giving up opium had less pain and fewer withdrawal symptoms than people who didn't get the treatment. So people thought this treatment might help ease withdrawal symptoms for people who are giving up nicotine.

Unfortunately, research shows this isn't the case.

There is no evidence from the research we looked at that acupuncture can be harmful.

We found some additional information, but it's based on research that hasn't been studied in the same way as other research we talk about on the ConsumerReportsHealth.org site. We're including it because we think it may be helpful if you're trying to decide whether to try acupuncture.

• In one study, doctors and physical therapists who used acupuncture for a variety of medical problems were asked if the treatment had ever caused a patient any harm. Out of 10,000 acupuncture treatments given, there wasn't a single episode of serious harm. Minor side effects did occur, but these were fairly rare. For example, acupuncture caused bleeding in about 1 out of every 30 treatments, and pain in about 1 out of every 90 treatments.
• Another study looked at 34,407 acupuncture treatments given by professional acupuncturists. None of the treatments caused any serious harm. Again, minor side effects did occur, including mild bruising in about 1 in 60 treatments, pain in about 1 in 80 treatments, and bleeding in about 1 in 250 treatments.
• There have been some reports of serious harm from acupuncture, such as injury to the nerves or lungs and getting infections (like hepatitis) from dirty needles. These sorts of serious problems are very rare.