Acupuncture for Detoxification
Chinese Medicine and acupuncture have successfully been used to assist in drug detoxification. The use of auricular acupuncture in treating acute drug withdrawal began in Hong Kong in 1972. However, China has a long history of opiate use beginning in the early 18th century. In 1729, Emperor Yung Chen attempted the first suppression of opium when issuing an edict banning the smoking of opium. Opiate use became a major public health concern in the early 20th century China. In 1949, there were thought to be 20 million opiate addicts. Traditional Chinese Medicine was used to assist in the treatment of addicts during this time.
There are several hundred acupuncture points throughout the body. The ear is a micro system of the whole body. During detoxification acupuncture the ear is the chosen area to treat. There are several reasons for this. The ear is easy to reach and is very close to the brain. The ear is located in the temporal bone. This is of neurological significance as all the cranial nerves (except two) run through the temporal bone into the ear. In giving stimulation to the cranial nerves one is directly accessing the brain and helping it to begin manufacturing the peptides that bond together to form the endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine, which the body needs to experience normalcy.
There are five primary points in the ear used. They are the sympathetic, shen men, kidney, liver, and heart-lung points. This is the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association protocol (NADA), and provides acupuncture treatment for addictions and mental disorders. The protocol is used around the world to help people deal with and recover from substance abuse. It helps not only with the substance abuse, but also the emotional, physical and psychological attributes involved with addictions. Treatment is effective in conjunction with therapy to deal with the emotional component of the substance abuse.
