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NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT. Almost two million Americans now use cocaine and usage
continues to grow especially among the 18- to 25-year age group. Conventional
treatments for cocaine dependency are not very effective. This prompted
researchers at the Yale University School of Medicine to evaluate acupuncture as
a means of reducing the craving for cocaine. Their study involved 82 cocaine
addicts who were on a stable dose of methadone. The participants were randomly
assigned to one of three treatment groups. The first group received an
auricular acupuncture treatment five times weekly for eight weeks. Four
acupuncture needles were inserted in each ear at the sympathetic, lung,
liver, and sen men points. The second group received "sham"
acupuncture treatments where needles were inserted in "inactive" points on the
ears. The third group was seated comfortably for 40 minutes each week day (5
days a week) and watched videos depicting relaxation strategies and relaxing
nature scenes or listened to relaxing music. All participants provided urine
samples three times a week; these were checked for cocaine metabolites.
In the final week of the study 54 per cent of the participants in group 1 (the
real acupuncture group) provided three consecutive urine samples free of
cocaine. Twenty-four per cent of the participants in the sham acupuncture group
also provided three consecutive cocaine-free samples in the last week while only
9 per cent in the relaxation group did so. The researchers conclude that ear
(auricular) acupuncture is effective in the treatment of cocaine
addiction.
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