Should you Recommend Acupuncture to Patients with Substance Use Disorders?

Acupuncture is an ancient therapeutic tool known to be the core of traditional Chinese medicine. Two theories suggest positive outcomes in patients treated with acupuncture:

• The oxidative stress reduction theory states that a “large body of evidences demonstrated that acupuncture has [an] antioxidative effect in various diseases, but the exact mechanism remains unclear.”
• The neurophysiological theory states that “acupuncture stimulation can facilitate the release of certain neuropeptides in the CNS, eliciting profound physiological effects and even activating self-healing mechanisms.”

For decades, acupuncture has been used for addiction management. Here we provide information on its utility for patients with substance use disorders.