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Acupuncture and cocaine addiction
Written by Bupa's medical team - 2 January 2002
Doctors at Yale University in the USA have found that auricular (ear) acupuncture used to treat cocaine addiction may not be as effective as was once thought.
Auricular acupuncture is a specialised complementary therapy using acupuncture points on the outer ear. It has been used in some centres to treat alcohol and drug addiction in the USA for nearly 30 years, and has been available in the UK since 1991. During this treatment, called Acudetox, five small needles are placed under the surface of the skin on specific sites on the fleshy part of the ear. The treatment takes about 45 minutes. The National Acupuncture Detoxification Association UK claims that this treatment has decreased craving for alcohol and drugs and has prevented relapse for some clients. They believe it is an economical treatment with no known side effects.
The researchers from Yale university monitored 620 cocaine dependent adults. One group received auricular acupuncture with two control groups receiving either a form of needle insertion or relaxation therapy. They found although overall cocaine use fell, there were no differences in treatment success between the groups.
Dr Margolin, the author of the study, concluded that acupuncture was not more effective than relaxation or needle insertion as a treatment for cocaine addiction. Although it cannot be recommended as a stand-alone treatment, more research would be useful to examine its role when used in addition to other types of therapy.
Pauline Ronson of the Auricular Acupuncture Association was surprised that the researchers in America did not find auricular acupuncture more effective, but agreed that it should only form part of a more comprehensive treatment programme. "It is hard to get consistent research on the effectiveness of auricular acupuncture as the numbers of people using it are not often sufficient", she explained. "In my own experience, I find that it is an effective treatment for drug and alcohol addiction. It has no side effects and it works very well alongside other treatments."
Dominique Joire, a traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner, of the Gateway Clinic in London regularly treats patients recovering from cocaine addiction with auricular acupuncture. His own experience of this treatment has been positive. He said: "We work as a drop-in centre which is used as part of a detox programme. We feel that those who make the effort to come and have the acupuncture treatment are more likely to complete the programme."
Dominique also agreed that auricular acupuncture can only work in conjunction with a whole treatment programme. "That is why we are only a drop-in centre for people who are going through a detox programme. They come here and relax, then go back to detox Stimulating their organs via the ear helps them to relax and aids recovery."
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