Recent abstracts on AP

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Hi All,

 

Below, see some recent abstracts on AP / TENS.

 

Phil

 

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AP and acupressure for the management of chemotherapy-induced

nausea and vomiting. Collins KB; Thomas DJ. J Am Acad Nurse

Pract VOL. 16, 2004, Feb, 76-80. Univ of Connecticut, USA.

PURPOSE: To review existing research, the National Institutes of

Health (NIH) consensus statement, and federal regulations

regarding the use of AP and acupressure in the management of

chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in order to give nurse

practitioners (NPs) the information they need to provide the best

care for patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment for cancer.

DATA SOURCES: Selected scientific literature and Internet

sources. CONCLUSIONS: Research supports the effectiveness of

AP and acupressure for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced

nausea and vomiting.

Used in conjunction with current antiemetic drugs, AP and

acupressure have been shown to be safe and effective for relief

of the nausea and vomiting resulting from chemotherapy.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE:

Even with the best antiemetic pharmacological agents, 60% of cancer patients

continue to experience nausea and vomiting when undergoing chemotherapy

treatments Because the NIH supports the use of AP for nausea and vomiting,

the NP is obligated to be knowledgeable about the use of these and other

effective complementary treatments in order to provide the best care.

 

AP for chronic headache in primary care: large, pragmatic, randomised trial.

Vickers AJ; Rees RW; Zollman CE; McCarney R; Smith CM; Ellis N; Fisher P;

Van Haselen R. BMJ, VOL. 328, NO. 7442, 2004, Mar 27, 744. Integrative

Medicine Service, Biostatistics Service, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer

Center, 1275 York Avenue, NY, NY 10021, USA. vickersa

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of a policy of " use AP " on headache,

health status, days off sick, and use of resources in patients with chronic

headache compared with a policy of " avoid AP " DESIGN: Randomised,

controlled trial. SETTING: General practices in England and Wales.

PARTICIPANTS: 401 patients with chronic headache, predominantly migraine.

Interventions Patients were randomly allocated to receive up to 12 AP treatments

over three months or to a control intervention offering usual care. MAIN

OUTCOME MEASURES: Headache score, SF-36 health status, and use of

medication were assessed at baseline, three, and 12 months. Use of resources

was assessed every three months. RESULTS : Headache score at 12 months,

the primary end point, was lower in the AP group (16.2, SD 13.7, n = 161, 34%

reduction from baseline) than in controls (22.3, SD 17.0, n = 140, 16% reduction

from baseline). The adjusted difference between means is 4.6 (95% confidence

interval 2.2 to 7.0; P = 0.0002). This result is robust to sensitivity analysis

incorporating imputation for missing data. Patients in the AP group experienced

the equivalent of 22 fewer days of headache per year (8 to 38). SF-36 data

favoured AP , although differences reached significance only for physical role

functioning, energy, and change in health. Compared with controls, patients

randomised to AP used 15% less medication (P = 0.02), made 25% fewer visits

to general practitioners (P = 0.10), and took 15% fewer days off sick (P = 0.2).

CONCLUSIONS: AP leads to persisting, clinically relevant benefits for primary

care patients with chronic headache, particularly migraine. Expansion of NHS AP

services should be considered.

 

AP for chronic low back pain in older patients: a randomized, controlled trial

Meng CF; Wang D; Ngeow J; Lao L; Paget S et al Rheumatology VOL. 42, NO.

12, 2003, 1508-1517. Hosp Special Surg, Dept Rheumatol, 535 E 70th St, New

York, NY 10021, USA mengc Objective. To determine if AP is an

effective , safe adjunctive treatment to standard therapy for chronic low back

pain (LBP) in older patients. Methods. The inclusion criteria for subjects were:

(i)

LBP greater than or equal to12 weeks and (ii) age greater than or equal to60 yr;

the exclusion criteria were (i) spinal tumour, infection or fracture and (ii)

associated neurological symptoms. The subjects were randomized to two

groups. The control group of subjects continued their usual care as directed by

their physicians, i.e. NSAIDs, muscle relaxants, paracetamol and back

exercises. Subjects in the AP group in addition received biweekly AP with

electrical stimulation for 5 weeks. Outcome was measured by the modified

Roland Disability Questionnaire (RDQ) at weeks 0, 2, 6 and 9. The primary

outcome measure was change in RDQ score between weeks 0 and 6. Results

Fifty-five patients were enrolled, with eight drop-outs. Twenty-four subjects

were

randomized to the AP group and 23 were randomized to the control group. AP

subjects had a significant decrease in RDQ score of 4.1 +/- 3.9 at week 6,

compared with a mean decrease of 0.7 +/- 2.8 in the control group (P = 0.001).

This effect was maintained for up to 4 weeks after treatment at week 9, with a

decrease in RDQ of 3.5 +/- 4.4 from baseline, compared with 0.43 +/- 2.7 in the

control group (P = 0.007). The mean global transition score was higher in the AP

group, 3.7 +/- 1.2, indicating greater improvement, compared with the score in

the control group, 2.5 +/- 0.9 (P < 0.001). Fewer AP subjects had medication-

related side-effects compared with the control group. Conclusions. AP is an

effective , safe adjunctive treatment for chronic LBP in older patients.

 

AP produces analgesic effect on an animal model of arthritis. Koo, S. T.; Lim,

K.

S.; Chung, K.; Chung, J. M. Society for Neuroscience Abstract Viewer and

Itinerary Planner 2003, Abstract No. 66.12 Marine Biomed. Inst. and Dept. of

Anat. and Neurosci., Univ. of Texas Med. Br., Galveston, TX, USA SPONSOR-

Society of Neuroscience DATE- November 08-12, 2003 CONFERENCE TITLE-

33rd Annual Meeting of the Society of Neuroscience http://sfn.scholarone.com

The usage of AP has gained popularity as an alternative method of treatment for

certain chronic pain conditions. However, the efficacy of AP in various diseases

has not been fully established and the underlying mechanism is not clearly

understood. The present study investigates the efficacy and mechanism of

analgesic effects of electroAP (EA) in a rat model of knee arthritis.Arthritis

was

induced by injecting 2% carrageenan into the knee joint of the rat. The weight-

bearing force (WBF) of the affected limb during locomotion was measured before

and at various times after arthritis induction, and before and at various times

after EA applications. EA was applied to an acupoint (ST-36 or GB-31) on the

contralateral hind limb with a train of electrical pulses at an intensity of 10

times

the muscle twitch threshold for 30 minutes under halothane anesthesia.After

arthritis induction, rats showed reduced WBF on the affected limb (<10% of total

body weight from the normal 55% WBF), indicating a painful stepping condition.

EA applied to the ST-36 point significantly improved the WBF of the arthritic

limb

lasting for 4 hours. However, such improvement could only be seen when

arthritic impairment was mild (pre-EA WBF greater than 20% of total body weight)

whereas the EA effect could not be demonstrated when arthritis was severe

(pre-EA WBF less than 10%).This analgesic effect of EA in mild arthritis was

blocked by intraperitoneal injection of phentolamine. EA applied to the GB-31

point, an acupoint located near ST-36, was not effective These data suggest

that EA has analgesic effects on arthritic pain only when arthritis is mild.

This EA-

induced analgesia is mediated by an adrenergic mechanism and is produced by

stimulation of a remote site in a point specific manner.

 

Alternative methods for external cephalic version in the event of breech

presentation: review of the literature Boog G. J Gynecol Obstet Biol Reprod

(Paris) VOL. 33, 2004, Apr, 94-8. Service de Gynecologie-Obstetrique, CHU de

Nantes, 7, quai Moncousu, 44093 Nantes Cedex 1.Fetal breech presentation at

term is more and more treated by a planned cesarean section. Considering the

increased maternal morbidity and mortality in relation to abdominal delivery

versus vaginal birth, natural and innocuous methods have been proposed for the

promotion of a spontaneous fetal cephalic version during the last two Months of

pregnancy. In order to stimulate fetal motility many techniques have been

described, either advising postural methods (passive bridge, Indian version,

knee-chest position) or using AP (stimulation of the fifth toe and auricular

points).

Other techniques like chiropractic manipulations or hypnosis have also been

tried. Unfortunately, most publications are retrospective and methodologically

inaccurate, but it seems that their results may be favorably compared with that

of

the external cephalic version, a much more complex procedure, which is

potentially dangerous and certainly time consuming and expensive. The only

randomized controlled trial with a proven efficacy concerns moxibustion (burning

herbs to stimulate the acupoint BL 67 or Zhiyin, located beside the outer corner

of the fifth toenail).

 

Cost effectiveness analysis of a randomised trial of AP for chronic headache in

primary care. Wonderling D; Vickers AJ; Grieve R; McCarney R. BMJ, VOL.

328 NO. 7442, 2004, Mar 27, 747. Health Services Research Unit, London

School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT.

David.Wonderling OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the cost effectiveness

of AP in the management of chronic headache. DESIGN: Cost effectiveness

analysis of a randomised controlled trial. SETTING: General practices in

England and Wales. PARTICIPANTS: 401 patients with chronic headache,

predominantly migraine. Interventions Patients were randomly allocated to

receive up to 12 AP treatments over three months from appropriately trained

physiotherapists, or to usual care alone. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE:

Incremental cost per quality adjusted life year (QALY) gained. RESULTS : Total

costs during the one year period of the study were on average higher for the AP

group (403 pounds sterling; 768 dollars; 598 euros) than for controls (217

pounds sterling) because of the AP practitioners' costs. The mean health gain

from AP during the one year of the trial was 0.021 quality adjusted life years

(QALYs), leading to a base case estimate of 9180 pounds sterling per QALY

gained. This result was robust to sensitivity analysis. Cost per QALY dropped

substantially when the analysis incorporated likely QALY differences for the

years after the trial. CONCLUSIONS: AP for chronic headache improves health

related quality of life at a small additional cost; it is relatively cost

effective

compared with a number of other interventions provided by the NHS.

 

Differences of electroAP-induced analgesic effect in normal and inflammatory

conditions in rats. Sekido, Reina; Ishimaru, Keisou; Sakita, Masakazu American

Journal of VOL. 31, NO. 6, 2003, 955-965. Dept of Surgery,

Graduate School of AP and Moxibustion, Meiji Univ of Oriental Medicine, Hiyoshi,

Funai, Kyoto, 629-0392, Japan. It has been reported by Stein et al. that the

immune system and peripheral opioid receptors are involved in the control of

pain

accompanying inflammation. ElectroAP (EA) is used to relieve various kinds of

pain. However, little is known about the effect of electroAP analgesia (EAA)

during hyperalgesia elicited by inflammation. The aim of the present study was

to

compare (1) the individual variation of EAA, (2) the durability of EAA, and (3)

the

effect of naloxone on EAA between normal rats and rats subjected to acute

inflammatory pain. Carrageenan was subcutaneously administered by

intraplantar (i.pl.) injection of the left hind paw to induce a nociceptive

response.

Nociceptive thresholds were measured using the paw pressure threshold (PPF).

Rats received EA at 3 Hz in the left anterior tibial muscles for 1 hour after

carrageenan injection. Naloxone was administered by intraperitoneal (i.p.) or

i.pl.

injection just before EA. EAA was elicited in 15 of 29 normal rats. These rats

were divided into responders and non-responders. EAA in the responder group

was almost completely antagonized by i.p. injection of naloxone. In contrast, in

all

the rats with carrageenan-induced inflammation, EAA was elicited, lasted for at

least 24 hours after carrageenan injection, and was dose-dependently

antagonized by i.pl. injection, but not significantly by i.p. injection of

naloxone. It

seems likely that the EAA in the rats with carrageenan-induced inflammation

differs from that in normal rats, and these findings suggest that peripheral

opioid

receptors are involved in EAA during inflammatory conditions.

 

Effects of acupoints TENS on heat pain threshold in normal subjects. Wang

Ninghua; Hui-Chan, Christina Chinese Medical Journal (English Edition) VOL.

116, NO. 12, December, 2003, 1864-1868. Dept of Physical Medicine and

Rehabilitation, First Hospital, Peking Univ, Beijing, 100034, China. Objective:

To

delineate the influence of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation ( TENS )

on

heat pain threshold and vibration threshold in human. Methods: Twenty healthy,

young subjects, aged from 20 to 39, participated in the study. They were

randomly allocated into either TENS or placebo group. Thirty minutes of

conventional TENS (200 mus pulses at 100 Hz and 2-3 times sensory threshold)

or placebo stimulation was applied to the AP points (LI4) on each subject's left

hand. Heat pain and vibration thresholds were measured using Medoc TSA-

2001 and VSA-3000 respectively on the thenar eminence of each subject's left

hand. These assessments were done at 30, 20 and 10 minutes before and 0, 10,

20, 30, 40 and 50 minutes after 30 minutes of TENS or placebo treatment

Results : This study showed a significant increase in heat pain threshold by

0.81degreec and 1.54degreeC respectively at 0 (P=0.002) and 20 minutes

(P=0.004) after 30 minutes of TENS application to the LI4 acupoint of young

healthy subjects, compared with placebo stimulation. Interestingly, no

significant

difference in vibration threshold was found between the TENS and placebo

groups. Conclusion: The effect of TENS on the acupoint is to reduce pain but not

tactile (specifically vibration) sensibility.

 

Effects of AP on human cerebellum - evidence by fMRI: Deqi vs pain. Hui, K. K.

S.; Liu, J.; An, H.; Napadow, V.; Kwong, K. K.; Kennedy, D. N.; Makris, N.

Society for Neuroscience Abstract Viewer and Itinerary Planner 2003. Abstract

No. 61. Dept. Radiology, Mass Gen. Hosp., Charlestown, MA, USA SPONSOR-

Society of Neuroscience MEDIUM- e-file CONFERENCE DATE- November 08-

12, 2003 CONFERENCE TITLE- 33rd Annual Meeting of the Society of

Neuroscience URL INFO- http://sfn.scholarone.com LANGUAGE- English The

CNS plays an important role in the mechanisms of AP action. Many conditions

with strong affective component benefit from AP treatment We first reported that

AP modulated the cerebral limbic system as evidenced by fMRI and that the

brain response differed markedly between deqi (a unique sensation essential to

clinical efficacy ) and pain induced by AP1 The cerebellum is linked to the

limbic

system and participates in multiple regulatory functions including cognition and

affect. Using whole brain fMRI and a new method for cerebellar parcellation2, we

demonstrated that the cerebellar response correlated with that of the cerebral

limbic network. This is the first report of AP effects on the cerebellum by

neuroimaging. Methods: Whole brain fMRI was performed on 22 healthy adults

on a 1.5T Siemens Sonata system. Functional scans were acquired by T2*-

weighted gradient echo series (TE/TR 30msec/4sec. Manual AP or tactile

stimulation (control) was delivered twice to ST 36, 2 min each, separated by a

period with needle at rest. Data analysis employed cerebellar parcellation2 and

AFNI software. Results : The cerebellum showed signal decreases with deqi and

increases with pain in the dentate nucleus and multiple zones in the vermis

(III,

IV, VI) and hemispheres (IV, V, VI, VII, VIII). Major regions in the cerebral

limbic

system demonstrated similar response patterns, signal decrease in deqi and

signal increase in pain. Conclusion: Cerebellar regions involved with cognition,

emotion, autonomic regulation, nociception and sensorimotor functions showed

distinct patterns of response to AP The cerebellum may play a concerted role

with the cerebral limbic network in the modulatory actions of AP on these

functions. References: 1) KKS Hui et al. Hum Brain Mapp 9:13-25, 20002) N

Makris et al. J Cogn Neurosci 15:4, 1-16, 2003 Funding: NIH NCCAM.

 

Smoking cessation with ear AP. Descriptive study on patients after a smoking

cessation treatment with ear AP Ausfeld-Hafter B; Marti F; Hoffmann S. Forsch

Komplementarmed Klass Naturheilkd VOL. 11, 2004, Feb, 8-13. Kollegiale

Instanz fur Komplementarmedizin, Universitat Bern, Switzerland.

brigitte.ausfeld BACKGROUND: In complementary medicine

literature studies on long-term observation of one of its methods are rare.

OBJECTIVE: The present study is an evaluation of the smoking behavior of

patients treated with ear AP for smoking cessation. Additionally we investigated

factors that favor or impede smoking cessation. PATIENTS AND METHODS:

249 patients who had undergone ear AP for smoking cessation between 1985

and 1998 in a practice in Aarau (Switzerland) were asked before the first

treatment to fill in a form regarding their smoking behavior and retrospectively

in

autumn 1998 a questionnaire regarding the success of therapy Ear AP treatment

consisted of 2 consultations at an interval of 10 days. The responder rate was

53.8% (134 questionnaires were returned). Finally the data of 126 persons could

be evaluated. RESULTS : The Kaplan Meier analysis of the abstinence time

yielded a one-year success rate of 41.1%. Men gave up smoking more easily

than women. Start of smoking as well as start of treatment between the age of 20

and 40 years were favorable conditions for smoking cessation. People who had

smoked 20 cigarettes or more per day before treatment profited the best. For

people who smoked as a way of passing the time or because of tediousness it

was easier to stop smoking than for people smoking because of nervousness.

People living in a non-smoker household were able to stop smoking significantly

easier than persons living in a smoker household. CONCLUSIONS: With a one-

year success rate of 41.1% ear AP is a competitive alternative to orthodox

medicine withdrawal methods. AP treatment can be applied and adapted

individually, furthermore it is economical and without side effects ; Copyright

2004 S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg

 

Success of AP and acupressure of the Pc 6 acupoint in the treatment of

hyperemesis gravidarum. Habek D; Barbir A; Habek JC; Janculiak D; Bobi-

Vukovi M. Forsch Komplementarmed Klass Naturheilkd VOL. 11, 2004, Feb, 20-

3. Clinical Hospital Osijek, Croatia. dubravko.habek OBJECTIVE:

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antiemetic effect of AP (AP) and

acupressure (APr) of the Pc 6 acupoint in pregnant women with hyperemesis

gravidarum (HG). METHODS: A prospective, placebo-controlled trial included 36

pregnant women with HG. Two methods of AP were used: bilateral manual AP of

the Pc 6 (Neiguan) acupoint (group 1, n = 10) and bilateral APr of the Pc 6

acupoint (group 2, n = 11); furthermore, superficial intracutaneous placebo AP

(group 3, n = 8) and placebo APr (group 4, n = 7) was carried out. RESULTS :

Anxiodepressive symptoms occurred in 9 pregnant women with HG from group

1, 8 women from group 2, 7 women from group 3, and 5 women from group 4 (p

60 0.001). The average gestation age at the occurrence of HG symptoms and

the beginning of treatment was 7 weeks in group 1 and 8 weeks in groups 2, 3,

and 4. Four women from group 1 and 7 women from groups 2, 3, an 4 needed

intravenous compensation of liquid and electrolytes. The antiemetic

metoclopramide was given intravenously to 1 woman from group 1, 2 women

from group 2, 6 women from group 3, and 4 women from group 4. Promethazine

was given to 1 woman from group 2, 1 woman from group 3, and to 3 women

from group 4. The efficiency of the HG treatment with AP of the point Pc 6 was

90%, with APr of the Pc 6 63.6%, with placebo AP 12.5%, and with placebo APr

0%. CONCLUSION: AP (p 60 0.0001) and acupressure (p 60 0.1) are effective ,

nonpharmacologic methods for the treatment of HG.; Copyright 2004 S. Karger

GmbH, Freiburg

 

The central serotonergic system mediates the analgesic effect of electroAP on

zusanli (ST36) acupoints. Chang FC Tsai HY; Yu MC; Yi PL; Lin JG. Journal of

Biomedical Science VOL. 11, NO. 2, March-April, 2004, 179-185.

jglin; AP Research Center, Institute of Chinese Medical

Science, China Medical Univ, No. 91 Hsueh-Shih Road, Taichung, 404, Taiwan.

Evidence in the past decade indicates that the mechanisms of anti-nociception of

electroAP (EAc) involve actions of neuropeptides (i.e., enkephalin and

endorphin) and monoamines (i.e., serotonin and norepinephrine) in the central

nervous system. Our present results using a subcutaneous injection of formalin

to test pain sensation in mice provide further understanding of the involvement

of

serotonin in the actions of EAc-induced analgesia. Our observations show that

(1) EAc at three different frequencies (2, 10 and 100 Hz) elicited an anti-

nociceptive effect as determined by behavioral observations of reduced hindpaw

licking; (2) exogenously intracerebroventricular administration of 5-

hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) exhibited an analgesic effect , which partially

mimicked the analgesic actions of EAc; (3) the anti-nociception of EAc at

different frequencies was attenuated after reduced biosynthesis of serotonin by

the administration of the tryptophan hydroxylase inhibitor,

p-chlorophenylalanine,

and (4) the 5-HT1A and 5-HT3 receptor antagonists, pindobind-5-HT1A and LY-

278584, respectively, blocked three different frequencies of EAc-induced

analgesic effects , but the anti-nociceptive effect of 100 Hz EAc was

potentiated

by the 5-HT2 receptor antagonist, ketanserin. These observations suggest that

5-HT1A and 5-HT3 receptors partially mediate the analgesic effects of EAc, but

that the 5-HT2 receptor is conversely involved in the nociceptive response.

 

The effect of AP on proinflammatory cytokine production in patients with chronic

headache: A preliminary report. Jeong, Hyun-Ja; Hong, Seung-Heon; Nam,

Yong-Che; Yang, Hee-Sook; Lyu, Yeoung-Su; Baek, Seung-Hwa; Lee, Hye-

Jung; Kim, Hyung-Min American Journal of VOL. 31, NO. 6,

2003, 945-954. hmkim; Dept of Pharmacology, College of Oriental

Medicine, Kyung Hee Univ, 1 Hoegi-Dong, Dongdaemun-Gu, Seoul, 130-701,

South Korea. AP has been widely used as a treatment for various conditions like

headache and stroke, especially in Asian countries such as Korea and China.

But few scientific investigations have been carried out. The aim of the present

study is to investigate the effect of AP on the production of inflammatory

cytokines in patients with chronic headache (CH). Patients with CH were treated

with AP during the acute stage. Clinical signs of CH disappeared markedly after

three months of treatment with AP Peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained

from a normal group and those from the patients with CH, before and after

treatment with AP , were cultured for 24 hours in the presence or absence of

lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The amount of interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6 and tumor

necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in LPS culture supernatant was significantly

increased in the patients with CH compared to the healthy control group

(p<0.05). But those cytokines came down toward the levels of the healthy group

(p<0.05) after treatment with AP , although the levels still remained elevated.

Plasma cytokine levels were analyzed to evaluate any change due to AP

treatment There was little difference in the levels of IL-1beta or IL-6 due to

the

treatment with AP in the patients with CH, but significantly reduced plasma

levels

of TNF-alpha were observed. These data suggest that AP treatment has an

inhibitory effect on pro-inflammatory cytokine production in patients with CH.

 

The role of trigger point therapy in knee osteoarthritis. Yentur, E. Alp; Okcu,

Guvenir; Yegul, Ibrahim. Pain Clinic VOL. 15, NO. 4, 2003, 385-390.

Ayentur; Selcuk 5, Giris 5, D: 12, Mavisehir, Izmir, Turkey

Background and objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate

whether injection of trigger points with lidocaine combined with intra-articular

hyaluronic acid injection would be more effective in pain reduction and

assisting

daily activities of patients with knee osteoarthritis then hyaluronic acid

injection

alone. Methods: Thirty-four, female, osteoarthritis patients were randomly

assigned into two groups (hyaluronic acid group, n=17; trigger point group,

n=17). Patients in the trigger point group received intraarticular 2 ml Na-

hyaluronate injections and trigger point injections, three times with one-week

intervals. The hyaluronic acid group received only hyaluronic acid injections.

Before the treatment and 7 days after the third injection, the same physician

who

was blind to the treatment , assessed the intensity of pain at rest or during

normal daily activities, activity restrictions, and joint range of motion.

Results : A

significant improvement of pain and reduction of activity restrictions was

observed in the trigger point group (p<0.001) while in the hyaluronic acid

group,

there were significant improvements only in squatting and walking

(p=0.03). A significant improvement in range of movement was

observed only in the trigger point group.

 

Treating drug using prison inmates with auricular AP; A

randomized controlled trial. Berman AH; Lundberg U; Krook AL;

Gyllenhammar C. J Subst Abuse Treat VOL. 26, 2004, Mar, 95-

102.Dept of Psychology, Stockholm Univ, Frescati Hagvag 14, plan

3, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden; Center for Health Equity Studies

(CHESS), Stockholm Univ/Karolinska Institutet, Sveavagen 160,

plan 5, S-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden. This study tested the

viability of auricular AP in prisons for alleviating inmates' symptoms

of psychological and physical discomfort and reducing their drug

use. The experimental NADA-Acudetox protocol was compared

with a non-specific helix control protocol in a randomized trial. Over

a period of 18 months, a 4-week, 14-session auricular AP

treatment program was offered in two prisons to 163 men and

women with self-reported drug use. Among treatment completers,

no differences by method were found in self-reported symptoms of

discomfort. Drug use occurred in the NADA group but not in the

helix group. In contrast, confidence in the NADA treatment

increased over time while it decreased for the helix treatment No

significant negative side effects were observed for either method.

Participants in both groups reported reduced symptoms of

discomfort and improved nighttime sleep. Future research should

compare auricular AP to a

non-invasive control in order to attempt to disentangle active effects

from placebo.

 

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