NEWS RELEASE

Acupuncture Effective in Drug and Alcohol Addiction Recovery

San Francisco, CA – In support of Drug and Alcohol Addiction Recovery Month this September, the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine’s (ACTCM) Community Ear Acupuncture Clinic will continue to provide effective acupuncture treatments free of charge (donations accepted) for recovering addicts in San Francisco Bay Area. Drug and Alcohol Addiction Recovery Month aims to promote the societal benefits of alcohol and drug use disorder treatment, highlight the contributions of treatment providers and promote the message that recovery from alcohol and drug use disorders in all its forms is possible.

Acupuncture relieves suffering and supports addiction recovery by using harm-reduction and pharmaceutical-free approach. The treatment protocol for substance addiction utilizes auricular (ear) acupuncture. This technique involves the insertion of five very small needles into points on the surface of the ear corresponding to the shen men (spirit gate), lung, liver, kidney and sympathetic nervous system. Acupuncture increases the production of endorphins, hormones that induce a deep state of relaxation and reduce the sensation of pain. Acupuncture can also improve the circulation of blood and lymphatic fluids, which brings fresh oxygen to body tissues. This increased oxygen flow eliminates waste products from inside the body and enhances recovery from diseases. Because the effects of ear acupuncture are prolonged, it leads to a lessening of cravings, insomnia, anxiety and depression associated with withdrawal and thereby reduces the chances of relapse.

The Community Ear Acupuncture Project (CEAP), run by the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ACTCM), was started in 1989 as a donation-based community clinic with the mission to provide quality holistic healthcare in a safe and welcoming environment to members of the public who may not otherwise be able to afford it.

The clinic runs two days a week in a large classroom located at the college’s campus in Potrero Hill, and can accommodate up to 40 patients. Patients come from all over San Francisco to be seen on a drop-in, first come, first served basis. Treatment sessions typically last between 20-60 minutes, and are performed in a group setting while patients relax in a chair. A Licensed Acupuncturist, with the assistance of four student interns from the college, treats an average of 30-50 patients each day.

The first acupuncture detoxification program in the United States was introduced on an outpatient basis in 1974 at Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx area of New York City. Since then, acupuncture has been used in substance abuse programs in various hospitals, jails, homeless and battered woman’s shelters, neighborhood community centers and medical clinics across the nation. Acupuncture detox is an effective complement to traditional methods of treatment because it is clinically effective, drug free, cost-efficient and compatible across cultures.

Acupuncture is used to treat addictions to opiates, cocaine, tobacco and alcohol. Researchers at Yale University found that among thirty-two cocaine dependent methadone-maintained patients who received an 8-week course of ear acupuncture treatments, 50% completed the treatment and 88% of study completers attained abstinence. Substance Abuse Recovery in Flint, MI, noted that 83% of a group of 100 General Motors employees became drug and alcohol free one year after entering an acupuncture based treatment.

For more information on acupuncture and Chinese medicine and its use in the treatment of substance addiction, please contact American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine at (415) 282-7600.