Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 30, 1992 TAG: 9203300053
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium
About 15 people in the Charlottesville area will receive acupuncture treatments between April and June, said Downing Miller, director of substance-abuse services for Region 10 of the state Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services.
"This is something we think is of value, and we'd like to do it," Miller said.
If counselors think the program is successful, Region 10 will apply for grant money to pay for more acupuncture treatments.
The treatment would cost about $100 each hour, during which about 25 patients could be treated, Miller said.
Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese method of treating pain and disease by inserting sharp needles in any one of hundreds of points in the body.
Five needles are put in both ears of addicts for 45 minutes in the acupuncture treatment. Addicts get daily treatments during the first few weeks of the program, then less frequently later.
Dr. Jai J. Cho, a Charlottesville acupuncturist, said the procedure can eliminate a person's cravings.
"But whether they want to stop smoking, lose weight, or anything, there has to be a commitment to stop the behavior," he said.
A federal study of a program for homeless women who abuse drugs showed that acupuncture, combined with therapy and education, are the most effective treatment for drug addicts, said Dr. Michael Smith, who started the acupuncture program at Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx section of New York.
When patients received only clinical therapy, they attended about three treatment sessions. If they received acupuncture and clinical therapy, they would attend 27 sessions. But if they received acupuncture, therapy and education, the average number of visits was 67, Smith said.
By taking away the craving for crack, acupuncture allows addicts to concentrate on changing their behavior, said Steve Williams, a substance-abuse counselor at Region 10.
"Acupuncture isn't a cure-all," he said. "We're talking about a change in lifestyle."
Williams said he has visited the acupuncture program at Lincoln Hospital, where a roomful of crack addicts sat quietly with needles in their ears.
"That's something in itself," he said. "Addicts don't do that. They're forever talking, and they're agitated and busy."
The state Senate recently passed a bill to allow the Department of Corrections to use acupuncture and other alternative methods for drug-abuse treatment in prisons, said Sen. Ed Robb, R-Batesville, who has undergone treatments for about six years for recurrent neck pain.
"I'm just really impressed with the whole situation," he said. "I don't know why it works, but it does."
by CNB