Studies Support The Use Of Auriculotherapy, Auricular Acupuncture, And Acupuncture In The Treatment Of Addictions

Dr. Paul Nogier’s original work led to the discovery of what we now know as auriculotherapy. This type of treatment is not the same as ear acupuncture or auricular acupuncture. While auricular acupuncture uses needles stuck among a rigid number of so-called acupuncture points, auriculotherapy neither uses fixed points nor does it require the use of needles. The points used in auriculotherapy points are generated by the stimulation of three cervical ganglia and four cranial nerves. Those are clearly not acupoints.

In auriculotherapy, the practitioner makes use of a pen-shaped FDA class 11 medical device to:

1. Find the location of an auriculotherapy point

2. Evaluate the located point, and

3. Heal the point if it is deemed to be pathologic

Characterized as the identification and treatment of the ear’s neurological points by stimulation of micro-currents, auriculotherapy is a painless procedure in which each point is treated for 30 seconds using a small manual device shaped like a pen. Treatment involves both ears for ten minutes five days a week for about four years. Needles used in auricular acupuncture are inserted in the skin where they remain for 40 minutes to an hour or so.

Medical Studies Supporting Auriculotherapy and Acupuncture

Several studies have been done since the 70’s and 80’s to find out whether auriculotherapy and acupuncture was effective in the treatment of substance addiction. An online MEDLINE search revealed more than 9,770 studies were done that dealt with the use of all forms of acupuncture for SUD including smoking behavior, binge eating, stimulant abuse, heroin addiction, and alcoholism. Most of the findings were derived from the most palpable uses of acupuncture: in the relief of ailments and pain related to opiate addiction.

Numerous studies in 1977 done by Wen in favor of acupuncture revealed substantial alleviation of withdrawal symptoms within 15 minutes at the onset of treatment. A year after, during the interval, follow up treatment led by Schuckit showed that 51 of the subjects haven’t used drugs. Oieson and Kroening discovered in 1985 that the sharp decrease of narcotic withdrawal was a success, with 85 percent of the subjects withdrawing with minimum side effects within five days to a week. The literature recently shows numerous studies favoring auriculotherapy, auricular acupuncture, , or acupuncture that includes cocaine addiction, alcohol addiction, and smoking addiction using the five point NADA protocol established and approved by the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association.

The comments from patients have been extremely positive. Some of these comments include among others: “Now actually sleeping,” “Headache is cured,” “No more violent mood swings,” “Feeling good from within,” “Feel calmer now,” “Feel less stress,” “Restored my natural energy,” “Lessened my craving for alcohol, “Even though I was clean I never once stopped craving drugs prior to acupuncture,” “I’ve stopped the craving since acupuncture,” “This was the quickest I kicked heroin,” and “A change in attitude.”

Drug court counselors state, “These people are becoming more balanced physically, mentally, and emotionally and for my patients, acupuncture in Cleveland has led to amazing results.”