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- Title
Acupuncture and relaxation response for craving and anxiety reduction among military veterans in recovery from substance use disorder.
- Authors
Chang, Bei‐Hung; Sommers, Elizabeth
- Abstract
Background and Objectives Substance use disorder (SUD) is a major health issue, especially among military veterans. We previously reported the effects of auricular acupuncture and the relaxation response (RR) on reducing craving and anxiety following 10-week interventions among veterans who were in recovery from SUDs. Our current analysis examines effects following each intervention session and RR daily practice. Methods We conducted a three-arm randomized controlled trial on residents of a homeless veteran rehabilitation program. Sixty-Seven enroled participants were randomly assigned to acupuncture ( n = 23), RR ( n = 23), or usual care ( n = 21). Participants in the two intervention groups rated their degree of craving for substance on a scale of 1-10 and anxiety levels on a scale of 1-4 (total score 20-80) before and after each intervention session. Mixed effects regression models were used for analysis. Results Craving and anxiety levels decreased significantly following one session of acupuncture (−1.04, p = .0001; −8.83, p < .0001) or RR intervention (−.43, p = .02; −4.64, p = .03). The level of craving continued to drop with additional intervention sessions (regression coefficient b = −.10, p = .01, and b = −.10, p = .02 for acupuncture and RR groups, respectively). Number of daily practice days of RR-eliciting techniques is also associated with reduction in craving ratings ( b = −.02, p = .008). Conclusions Findings demonstrate the value of attending regular acupuncture and RR-eliciting intervention sessions, as well as the daily practice of RR-eliciting techniques. Scientific Significance Substance addiction is a complex disease and effective treatment remains a challenge. Our study findings add to the scientific evidence of these two non-pharmaceutical approaches for SUD. (Am J Addict 2014;23:129-136)
- Subjects
ACUPUNCTURE; PSYCHOLOGICAL stress; HOMELESS persons; SUBSTANCE abuse risk factors; SUBSTANCE-induced disorders; CLINICAL trials
- Publication
American Journal on Addictions, 2014, Vol 23, Issue 2, p129
- ISSN
1055-0496
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/j.1521-0391.2013.12079.x