In many people’s minds, acupuncture and pain can be synonymous terms and when asked, most think acupuncture is only used as a treatment for pain. It is true, acupuncture is a very effective form of treatment for pain, from any cause, but it is also an effective treatment for obesity, alcoholism and drug abuse.
Food Triggers Reward Centers in the Brain
Researchers at St. Louis’ Washington University School of Medicine have found that a risk for alcoholism also may put individuals at risk for obesity. Reporting in the Archives of General Psychiatry, Grucza and his team say individuals with a family history of alcoholism, particularly women, have an elevated obesity risk. The risk seems to be growing since the 1970s. Grucza speculates that increased availability of food as well as changes in food composition play a role in the increasing risk. The food we eat contains more calories, sugar, fat and salt than it did in the 1970s. These components trigger the reward centers of the brain, the same area that drugs and alcohol trigger 1.
Acupuncture is an Effective Treatment for Drug Addiction
A number of studies with rats have shown that acupuncture reduces the rewarding effects induced by drugs 2, 3. Researcher found that acupuncture causes a release in serotonin and suggest the possibility that acupuncture affects the reward system pathway of the brain by activation of serotonergic neurons 3.
Acupuncture Reduces Desire for Alcohol
In a large randomized placebo controlled trial published in Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, researchers randomized 503 alcohol substance abusers to either ear acupuncture, sham acupuncture, symptom based acupuncture or convention treatment alone. Alcohol use was assessed, along with depression, anxiety, functional status, and preference for therapy.
“Researchers found significant improvement was shown on nearly all measures. A significant, 49% of subjects reported acupuncture reduced their desire for alcohol. The placebo and preference for treatment measures did not materially effect the results. Generally, acupuncture was not found to make a significant contribution over and above that achieved by conventional treatment alone in reduction of alcohol use 4 .”
Acupuncture is Effective in Weight Loss
It has been reported that acupuncture application in obesity treatment is effective in procuring weight loss. It can affect appetite, intestinal motility, and metabolism, as well as emotional factors such as stress. It appears to work by increasing plasma levels of beta endorphin and serotonin 5.
Obesity, alcoholism and drug addiction continues to be a major problem in our society and all generally require multiple treatment approaches. Acupuncture is a safe and effective treatment approach that should be used in the treatment of obesity, alcoholism and drug abuse.
References:
1. Grucza, R. A., et. al. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2010;67(12) : 1301-1308. doi:10.1001/archgenpsyciatry.2010.155
2. Yang, C.H. et. al. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2008;5(3):257-266
3. Yoshimoto, K., et. al. Tohoku J of Exp Med. 2006;208 : 321-326
4. Bullock, M.L., et. al. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. 2002;22 :71-77. doi:10.1016/S0740-5472(01)00217-3
5. Cabýoglu M.T., Ergene N, Tan U. Int J Neruosci. 2006 Feb;116(2):165-75.
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