Acupuncture Treatment of Substance Use Disorders

Abstract

The use of acupuncture as a medical treatment over the course of thousands of years has led to the development of a variety of acupuncture administration techniques. Clinical trials testing the efficacy of acupuncture as a treatment for substance use disorder have produced contradictory results. This ambiguity may be, at least in part, the result of the numerous administration methods performed in the many acupuncture schools and protocols that exist today. Animal studies, which tend to employ more traditional acupuncture administration methods, have supported the application of acupuncture treatment for addiction disorders. In future clinical trials and animal studies, investigators should emphasize the details of the specific acupuncture administration methods applied in order to optimize the use of acupuncture in clinical practice.