Acupuncture is widely used as an adjunct treatment for drug and alcohol addiction. A five-point auricular (outer ear) protocol was developed and taught by Michael Smith, MD of Lincoln Memorial Hospital in the Bronx, NY, during the cocaine plague of the 1970s.

The protocol is disseminated through the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) in the US and worldwide. Training and information is about acupuncture detoxification is available through NADA.

Drug treatment providers who include the NADA protocol of acupuncture detoxification within their treatment regime find clients maintain treatment longer, and therefore are more likely to complete treatment and stay clean. Though evidence is still limited, acupuncture detoxification is considered a "best practice" within the addiction treatment industry.

External links

• National Acupuncture Detoxification Association

Acupuncture