Seyed Amir Jazaeri
Iran
Title: Psychological acupuncture therapy for alcoholism and drug addiction in Malaysia and Iran
Biography
Biography: Seyed Amir Jazaeri
Abstract
Statement of the Problem: Substance use disorder (SUD) is a major health issue; huge scientific evidence supports the efficacy of psychological acupuncture in the treatment of opiate/alcohol dependence. Psychological Acupuncture therapy (PAT) has been used to treat substance abuse (drug, alcohol) for many years. From Psychological point of view, Psycho-acupuncture (PAT) can be used as an adjunct treatment for alcohol/drug addiction and psychological disorders associated with addiction. This study conducted in Malaysia and Iran to examine the effectiveness of psychological acupuncture on alcohol and drug addiction (heroin/opiate).
Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of Psychological acupuncture for heroin/opiate addicts and alcohol abusers on methadone maintenance by measuring the daily consumption of methadone, variations in the 36-item Short Form Health Survey-36 (SF-36) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores, and heroin craving.
This study was conducted in Malaysia and Iran. In Malaysia the first part of study was conducted in The Faculty of Homeopathy Malaysia, Department of Chinese Medicine Acupuncture, Kuala Lumpur, under supervision and guidance of Prof. Dr. Nick Omar with 12 heroin addicts and alcohol abusers (n=12) from Malaysia. Second part of this study was conducted in Iran, Mashhad with 13 heroin/opiate addiction and alcohol dependency in Malak Abad Psychological Services (a private research office) (n=13). Psychological acupuncture applied/conducted by Prof. Dr. Nick Omar and the author of this paper (Dr. Seyed Amir Jazaeri) followed the instructions and guidance of Prof. Dr. Nick Omar to conduct/apply psychological acupuncture on patients in the study in Malaysia and Iran.
Participants in the one controlled group (which did not received Psychological acupuncture therapy) and two intervention groups (which received Psychological acupuncture therapy and Cognitive behavioral therapy) 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.
Patients received three sessions of Psychological acupuncture therapy weekly for 8 weeks (two months). For patients who were under MMT (methadone maintenance therapy) from week 2 onwards, the daily dose of methadone was reduced by a significantly greater amount with Psychological acupuncture compared with patients in controlled group which received no Psychological acupuncture treatment. Psychological acupuncture therapy (PAT) was also associated with a greater improvement in sleep latency at follow-up. All adverse events were mild in severity. Acupuncture appears to be a useful adjunct to methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) in heroin addiction.
Findings: This study showed that psychological acupuncture therapy (PAT0 and Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) were potentially effective in reducing alcohol craving and withdrawal symptoms and could be considered as an additional treatment choice and/or referral option within national healthcare systems in Malaysia and Iran.
Conclusion & Significance: Substance addiction is a complex problem and effective treatment remains a challenge. My study findings add to the scientific evidence of implementation and effectiveness of Psycho acupuncture to treat drug/alcohol addiction.
Findings demonstrate the value of attending Psychological acupuncture therapy in intervention sessions, as well as the other psychological therapies techniques.