How Acupuncture Can Help Treat Addiction

Addiction comes in so many forms that no single method works across the board. Opinions split hard on this. Some people are convinced alcohol dependence can never really be fixed, while others swear it can. The disagreement usually misses the point, because the addiction itself is rarely the whole story. Underneath it sit problems that haven't been dealt with. Someone once put it this way: an addiction is just a symptom of things that aren't being seen or taken care of. Deal with what's driving the behavior and the behavior itself becomes something you can actually move past. Among the approaches that have been researched for this, acupuncture keeps coming up.

Acupuncture gets described as a holistic treatment, meaning it's aimed at the whole person rather than one isolated symptom. The practice works by placing thin needles into the body to shift its energy. Practitioners talk about energy channels running through different areas, the ears, the back, the feet, and elsewhere. For people in recovery, the ear is where most of the attention goes. There are five points on the ear that come into play when someone is working to break free of an addiction.

The first of these is the Sympathetic Point. It links the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems and carries a strong analgesic quality. Needling here can dull pain and bring on a calmer, more relaxed state.

Then there's the Shenmen Point, sometimes called the Spirit Gate. A needle placed here settles both body and mind. It eases stress, jittery nerves, and anxiety. Those happen to be some of the hardest feelings during withdrawal, which makes that stretch of time the point's natural window.

Third is the Kidney Point. Heavy use of alcohol or drugs tends to drain a person's energy and wear down something deeper. Treating this point is said to begin healing the mind, cutting through fear and rebuilding the kind of willpower it takes to push through recovery.

The Liver Point is fourth. Years of drinking or drug use leave the liver battered, and acupuncture at this spot is meant to coax some health back into it. There's an emotional side too: this point is associated with releasing anger, which tends to surface while someone is clawing their way out of an addiction.

Last is the Lung Point, number five. The physical job here is rebuilding the immune system and speeding up the body's detox process. Beyond that, people say needling this point helps loosen a grip on the past and move through grief, letting go of things that have been held onto too long.

Plenty of things can keep a person stuck in an addiction. Even so, breaking out of one is possible, and holistic methods are among the routes people take. Acupuncture has been looked at repeatedly, and many people fighting addiction have found it worked for them. If you or someone you care about is trying to get clean, booking a few acupuncture sessions is worth considering. It also pairs safely with other holistic treatments, so it doesn't have to stand alone.

Reference: http://www.altmd.com/Articles/Acupuncture-for-Addiction-and-Substance-Abuse