Ear Acupuncture Gains Use as Alternative Addiction Treatment
A rather unsuspecting part of the body is being used more often with successful results in addiction treatment - the ear.
Auricular, or ear acupuncture, has been noted to help people recovering from substance abuse addiction, especially in the detoxification process and for helping ward off relapse. While still a lesser-known alternative treatment, more treatment centers are addressing ear acupuncture as part of an overall treatment strategy.
As noted in a PsychCentral article, it is believed ear acupuncture works by reducing patients' anxiety or levels of stress, which are typically linked to relapse during addiction recovery and as a source of the addiction themselves. Some patients have reported feelings of well-being and renewed energy from the treatments, which are relatively painless. A few needles are placed in strategic regions of the ear while the patient rests or stays seated for less than an hour.
The practice isn't new. During the 1970s, ear acupuncture was used for painkiller addictions and has been linked with longer periods of treatment for people recovering from addictions. The practice differs from general acupuncture, a Chinese discipline, because it is said to be less complex and requires less medical knowledge.
Auricular acupuncture specialists may, in some states, only be allowed to practice if they are currently an addiction specialist or are monitored by a licensed acupuncture professional.
