A Hong Kong neurosurgeon, Dr. H. L. Wen, discovered in 1972 that the acupuncture he used on a surgical patient for analgesic purposes also diminished the patient’s opium withdrawal and cravings. Dr. Wen used auricular or ear acupuncture, where needle points are commonly used for reducing pain throughout the rest of the body.

Dr. Wen experimented with auricular acupuncture on different addictions, and discovered a surprisingly high rate of recovery for all types of addictions. His treatment protocols for addiction started being used by the addiction recovery and detoxification clinic of New York’s South Bronx Lincoln Memorial Hospital in 1974 as an adjunct for methadone treatments.

The acupuncture treatments were so effective that the methadone was actually dropped from the treatment protocol. Of course dropping the substituted addiction of methadone for heroin was a no-brainer when acupuncture treatment alone was more effective. Since then, drug addiction recovery and detoxification clinics have been established in several U.S. cities using auricular acupuncture.

The clinics are often publicly funded, but not from Medicare or Medicaid. The FDA ruled that acupuncture was “experimental.” This ruling effectively restricted medical competition by banning government insurance and discouraging private insurers from providing coverage.

The Basics of Auricular Acupuncture for Addictions

In normal acupuncture treatments the needle points are determined from one session to another. However, the addiction recovery protocol is set in stone with two standard auricular acupuncture protocols used for all addictions. This allows for non TCM doctors to administer the same protocols and deliver the same outstanding results.

The first is the National Acupuncture Detoxification Assocation (NADA) treatment protocol for addition. The NADA protocol uses five needle points in the ear: Lung 2, liver, C. kidney, shen men (stress, anxiety, overly sensitive), and the autonomic point for balancing sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems and blood circulation.

The second protocol is the American College of Addictionology and Compulsive Disorders (ACACD) treatment protocol. Three points are the same as NADA’s: Shen men, autonomic point, and C. Kidney. But ACACD uses three additional points: Limbic system for aggressive compulsive behavior, brain for endocrine glands, and point zero for homeostatic balance.

If you, a friend or family member are suffering from any type of addition and would like to opportunity to end your addiction then acupuncture may be the answer you have been looking for.

Tags: Addition Treatment Berkeley, Auricular Acupuncture Berkeley, Berkeley Acupuncture, Berkeley Detoxification Treatment

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