The Canyon

Acupuncture, an ancient Chinese medicinal practice, is becoming more and more accepted as a preventative medicinal practice as well as a technique to relieve acute and chronic symptoms and disorders. One such disorder that seems to respond well to regular acupuncture sessions is drug and alcohol addiction.

What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is based upon the idea that energy (called ‘qi,’ pronounced ‘chee’) runs through the body along certain lines called meridians. When this energy is blocked, ailments and medical disorders develop. The idea is that by inserting long thin needles into the first couple layers of skin (painlessly) at certain points along meridians that correspond to certain ailments and body parts and systems, you can unblock that energy, increase energy flow throughout the body, and relieve the symptoms.

The Effectiveness of Acupuncture in Treating Drug and Alcohol Addiction

There are a number of studies that have focused on the effect of acupuncture on drug and alcohol addiction treatment. Conclusion? Acupuncture is highly effective drug and alcohol treatment.

But how do you test the effectiveness of acupuncture? The way it is usually done is to divide the participants into two groups. They share all the same treatment options (that is, they are all enrolled in inpatient drug addiction rehab or they all attend one AA or NA meeting per week) and both have regular acupuncture sessions, but one group uses the needles randomly without paying attention to meridians or points thought to be related to drug and alcohol addiction while the others are meticulously placed according to acupuncture tradition. In a study that divided 80 into two groups of 40 and followed these guidelines, of the group that had random acupuncture done, only 1 remained clean and sober at the end of the two-month study. Of the other group in which acupuncture was done correctly, 21 of the 40 remained at the study’s end.

Acupuncture and Drug Addiction Withdrawal Symptoms

Studies done on animals that focused on acupuncture’s effect on withdrawal after drug and alcohol addiction shows that acupuncture goes a long way toward decreasing the intensity and length of withdrawal symptoms.

An interesting note: the studies done on animals and on people in other circumstances have shown that so-called “sham” acupuncture in which meridians and location of needles are purposely placed incorrectly and true acupuncture in which needles are placed according to meridians yield no different results. Both work equally well and reduce drug addiction withdrawal symptoms. Perhaps it is the relaxation effect or the belief that you are doing something healthy or perhaps taking one step towards a healthy lifestyle encourages other healthy choices like organic eating, better rest and gentle exercise, all of which are thought to reduce the effect of drug addiction withdrawal.

Acupuncture and Drug Addiction Treatment

The most effective drug addiction treatment is one that incorporates as many different types of treatment as possible. Addiction is a personal experience. Addiction treatment should be personal as well. If acupuncture is what makes the difference for you, then it’s important that it’s an option provided by your drug rehab. How will you know whether or not it will work for you unless you try?

The Canyon is a drug rehab that offers acupuncture as one of its many treatment options. If you have questions, contact them today for more information about acupuncture and drug and alcohol addiction treatment.

The goals of Chinese medicine—using approaches like acupuncture—are very different from our goals here in the United States. For one thing, Chinese medicine is very preventative in nature, offering you treatments that focus on whole body wellness. Americans, on the other hand, often don’t even think about their health until they don’t feel well… and then they treat the symptoms they’re experiencing rather than the cause.

Recently, however, Americans have started to pay attention to Chinese medicine and incorporate it into medical treatments like drug and alcohol addiction treatment. Western research and thousands of years of Eastern experience has proven over and over that acupuncture is an effective part of treatment.

Acupuncture Basics

The only tools used in acupuncture are long thin needles that are inserted into the top layers of skin painlessly along certain meridians or routes of energy that flow beneath the skin. The meridians and the energy are invisible, but it is believed that energy along these routes can get blocked and that the needles, inserted at the correct points, can unblock that energy. The Chinese believe that many ailments of the mind and body are directly related to these blocked energy routes. Drug addiction, which manifests with both mental, psychological, spiritual and physical symptoms responds well to acupuncture treatment.

Those Who Are Against Acupuncture in Drug Addiction Treatment Say…

Though research has been done that proves the effectiveness of acupuncture in drug treatment, there are some who don’t think that the studies were extensive enough or followed the recipients of the treat more long enough to be definitive.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) sponsored a review of acupuncture in detox programs and had this to say:

“It is clear that some of the reasons for the wide divergence of opinion regarding the efficacy of acupuncture result from the non-standard terminology used to describe it, the wide range of procedures that have been called acupuncture, the lack of a clear mechanism to explain the purported benefits of acupuncture treatment and perhaps most importantly, the lack of systematic clinical research in this area.”

Those Who Are For Acupuncture in Drug Addiction Treatment Say…

Though energy is not and cannot be medically quantified according to Western methods, thousands of years of effective practice is difficult to argue. Western science has proven that the insertion of the needles used in acupuncture stimulates the production of beta-endorphins, which could be a modern way of talking about ‘energy’ and ‘life force.’ Also, a number of studies have proven that the needles don’t even have to be placed in the correct positions according to meridians in order to be effective. Acupuncture in any form has a positive effect when integrated into drug and alcohol addiction treatment, minimizing the physical withdrawal symptoms and psychological cravings and lengthening the time in sobriety without a relapse.

Acupuncture in Drug Addiction Treatment

It is relatively simple to integrate acupuncture into alcohol and drug rehab whether in group settings or one-on-one. The Canyon makes sure to incorporate a number of alternative treatments like acupuncture. If you’d like more information on how acupuncture works or how it affects drug addiction recovery, contact The Canyon today.