Acupuncture & Addictions
- Posted on: Oct 25 2018
Treatment of Addictions with Auricular Acupuncture
Acupuncture has been used to treat a variety of addictions over the past years. The most common would be smoking cessation, weight loss and drug and alcohol addictions. The mechanism of treatment of these addictions is essentially the same. The Acupuncturist places fine gauge needles in the patient’s ears and as a response to this stimulus the body i.e. brain and neuroendocrine system releases opioid like neuro transmitters in the patient’s blood stream for example endorphins, enkephalins and serotonin. These substances help extinguish the bodies craving or desire for the substance the body has a dependence on or the behavior one wants to extinguish. The cessation to the craved substance or behavior one wants to extinguish depends on the location in the ear cartilage the Acupuncturist chooses for the specific treatment protocol. The location in the ear or ears is key to effectiveness of the treatment and the results the treatment yields.
For example, each addiction or unwanted behavior has its own treatment recipe the Acupuncturist follows to bring about the desired result. The following four dependencies are the most popular in the modern-day Acupuncturist’s practice. For each dependency is a point prescription or recipe the practitioner utilizes. Each recipe consists of five or more locations or Ear Points.
- Alcohol Detoxification: Shen Men, Sympathetic, Lung, Liver, Kidney
- Drug Detoxification: Shen Men, Point Zero, Sympathetic, Lung, Kidney
- Smoking Cessation: Shen Men, Point Zero, Sympathetic, Lung 1, Lung 2, Nicotine Point
- Weight Control or Appetite Suppression: Shen Men, Point Zero, Sympathetic, Lung, Kidney
The Acupuncturist treats the typical addiction patient 3-5x a week for the first 2 weeks for drug dependency or smoking cessation and if the patient has not stopped smoking or discontinued the drug or alcoholic beverage the treatment is discontinued. If the treatment was successful booster treatments are advised in a tapering fashion. Weight Loss or Appetite Suppression treatments are a little bit different. For the patient to lose weight the calories consumed must be less than the number of calories required to sustain a certain body weight. For Acupuncture in this case to be successful the persons appetite must be curbed long enough to result in the desired weight loss. This process realistically will take weeks to months depending on the amount of weight the person desires to lose. The most successful weight loss programs will include healthy food choices, limiting calories, exercise, and behavior modification techniques. Dr. Mininsohn is a Licensed Chiropractor and Acupuncturist and he works in the Brick Office of AOSMI. The Brick location offers PT, Chiropractic and Acupuncture under one roof for our patient’s convenience. 
Posted in: Acupuncture
