There are a lot of alternative therapies for addictions including ear acupuncture (auriculotherapy), body acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Methods (TCM) methods in Bellmore. Body acupuncture and TCM have been practiced for thousands of years to restore and preserve health. A decade ago, these therapies have started to be used to treat addictions to cigarettes, alcohol, crack, heroin, and cocaine. Addicts who have been treated with one or more of these methods usually experience lesser relapses and no untoward side effects. Acupuncture has been around for thousands of years and yet it is still strangely termed in the Western world as an “alternative” form of treatment.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture has originated and been practiced in China more than 5000 years. It is grounded on the principle of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) that health depends on the flow of vital energy in the body known as chi. According to TCM, chi circulates along a dozen energy channels known as meridians and each of these meridians is related to certain organ systems of the body. There are more than a thousand acupuncture points within the meridian system and each of them can be stimulated to promote the circulation of chi. In a typical acupuncture procedure filiform needles are stuck into predetermined acupoints to help rectify imbalances and restore health.
In the 1970’s acupuncture became a household world when the New York Times published a story about the use of the procedure during a surgical procedure involving a certain New York Times reporter. The NIH (National Institutes of Health) in 1997 issued a statement endorsing the procedure as a valid form of treatment for several types of conditions. Twenty years earlier, the WHO (World Health Organization) provided the public with a list of more than 40 health conditions that acupuncture can treat, one of them being addictions.
Ear Acupuncture (Auriculotherapy)
This unique form of acupuncture involves the stimulation of the ear, more specifically, the external ear auricle to diagnose and resolve illnesses in other areas of the body. Acupuncturists consider the auricle to be a representation of an upside down fetus – the feet being the top of the external ear while its head being the lower ear lobe, and the rest of the auricle the body in-between.
Auriculotherapy has been popularized by a French physician, Paul Nogier, who began utilizing this type of treatment in the 1950’s. Because of his significant contribution for the advancement of ear acupuncture, the Chinese Government honored him and feted him the title of “Father of Modern Auriculotherapy.”
In 1987, auriculotherapy started be used as a treatment protocol that can be accepted for court-related referrals.
This treatment is very effective in the treatment of addictions. It works by treating the ear acupoints that are associated with dependencies. An ear acupuncture procedure does not only involve the use of needles, laser electrostimulation, acupressure, magnets, and seeds/pellets can also be used in lieu of needles. Besides acupuncturists, this procedure can also be performed by psychotherapists, chiropractors, physical therapists, medical physicians, and naturopathic doctors.
Unlike drug therapy, auriculotherapy or acupuncture can be used as a safe form of treatment on patients considered to be “high risk.” This is one of the reasons why these two therapies are very popular among drug addiction rehabilitation professionals. Pharmaceutical therapies are usually limited by the patient’s physical conditions such as high blood pressure or pregnancy. Acupuncture and auriculotherapy can be given across a wide range of individuals in an affordable and effective way.