Acupuncture for Addiction
As an acupuncture student in California, I
treated a lot of patients that were admitted to Daniel Freeman Hospital
for addiction. At the time I was struck by the clear fact that addiction
can hit anyone. I would see a patient that looked like he hit rock
bottom. Then, in the next room over, I would administer acupuncture to a
high powered businessman.
Now, at my acupuncture
practice here in Grand Rapids, most of the treatments I do for addiction
are mostly for nicotine but also alcohol and prescription drug
addictions. Interestingly, the main points I use are the same for any
chemical addiction. It really doesn’t matter if the treatment is for
nicotine or heroine.
As I understand it,
addiction acupuncture started quite accidentally. A doctor in Hong Kong
was testing ear acupuncture for something else all together. His test
subjects, many addicted to morphine, were spontaneously commenting that
their cravings were reduced. Here in the United States, The National
Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) was eventually formed.
Most acupuncturists use their five point ear protocol as the basis for
most addiction treatments. Dade County Florida and others have used
acupuncture as an important part of their addiction treatment for
successful Drug Court programs.
The five points in the ear (auricular acupuncture) correspond to:
General Emotional Balance (Shen Men)
Sympathetic Nervous System Balance
Lungs
Liver
Kidney
In addition to their
obvious physical responsibilities, Chinese Medicine assigns emotions to
each of the organ systems. The Lungs are related to grief and letting
go of things (emotionally). The Liver shows irritability and anger when
out of balance. When balanced it controls vision (physical and
psychological) and determination. A Kidney disharmony can show as fear,
but, when healthy, it is responsible for Will Power.
As an Acupuncturist (as
opposed to a Detox Specialist) I will also use traditional acupuncture
to treat each individual’s imbalance, and their specific withdrawal
symptoms (appetite, fever/chills, headache, fatigue, malaise, etc)
Biochemically, we know that
acupuncture stimulates the body to release endorphin (a natural
painkiller). The endorphin breaks into smaller chemicals called
enkephlin that binds in the brain where the drug/ substance attaches.
Because these binding sites are full, cravings are reduced. Acupuncture
is an excellent aid to addiction treatment plans.
Stephen Durell, Dipl. Ac.
