| Medical Encyclopedia: Substance Abuse and Dependence: Alternative treatment |
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The efficacy of alternative treatments for substance use disorders remains for the most part ambiguous. One treatment that has been recently shown to have variable success is the use of acupuncture in treating substance dependence. In 2000, a randomized controlled trial of the effect of acupuncture on cocaine addiction reported that acupuncture significantly reduced the cocaine use of study participants. A 1999 meta-analysis (summary analysis of studies), however, reported that acupuncture had no statistically significant effect on smoking cessation.
There has been movement towards examining some of the (anecdotally) promising treatments in more rigorous clinical trials. In particular, there has been some interest in Pueraria lobata, or kudzu, an herb that has reputedly been used in Chinese medicine to treat alcoholism. Preclinical trials of an herbal formula with kudzu have shown that increased consumption of the herbal formula is associated with decreased consumption of alcohol. Toxicity studies show few ill effects of the formula, and human trials are currently being undertaken to more fully evaluate the efficacy of this treatment.
The effectiveness of electroacupuncture (the practice of acupuncture accompanied by the application of low levels of electrical current at acupuncture points) in alleviating opiate withdrawal symptoms is also being examined. Preclinical trials suggest that electroacupuncture treatment given prior to the administration of naxolone (a medication that counteracts the effects of opiates but precipitates withdrawal symptoms) seems to to alleviate the withdrawal effects of naxolone.
— Genevieve Pham-Kanter
