Acupuncture and relaxation response for craving and anxiety reduction among military veterans in recovery from substance use disorder
Item
Title
Acupuncture and relaxation response for craving and anxiety reduction among military veterans in recovery from substance use disorder
Author(s)
Journal Publication
Date
2014
volume
23(2)
pages
129-136
Research Type
RCT
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Substance use disorder (SUD) is a major health issue, especially among military veterans. We previously reported the effects of auricular acupuncture and the relaxation response (RR) on reducing craving and anxiety following 10-week interventions among veterans who were in recovery from SUDs. Our current analysis examines effects following each intervention session and RR daily practice.Methods: We conducted a three-arm randomized controlled trial on residents of a homeless veteran rehabilitation program. Sixty-Seven enroled participants were randomly assigned to acupuncture (n=23), RR (n=23), or usual care (n=21). Participants in the two intervention groups 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.Results: Craving and anxiety levels decreased significantly following one session of acupuncture (-1.04, p=.0001; -8.83, p<.0001) or RR intervention (-.43, p=.02; -4.64, p=.03). The level of craving continued to drop with additional intervention sessions (regression coefficient b=-.10, p=.01, and b=-.10, p=.02 for acupuncture and RR groups, respectively). Number of daily practice days of RR-eliciting techniques is also associated with reduction in craving ratings (b=-.02, p=.008).Conclusions: Findings demonstrate the value of attending regular acupuncture and RR-eliciting intervention sessions, as well as the daily practice of RR-eliciting techniques.Scientific Significance: Substance addiction is a complex disease and effective treatment remains a challenge. Our study findings add to the scientific evidence of these two non-pharmaceutical approaches for SUD.
doi
10.1111/j.1521-0391.2013.12079.x
pmid
Accession Number: 109677532. Language: English. Entry Date: 20150923. Revision Date: 20161118. Publication Type: journal article; research; randomized controlled trial. Journal Subset: Biomedical; Blind Peer Reviewed; Editorial Board Reviewed; Expert Peer Reviewed; Peer Reviewed; USA. Special Interest: Psychiatry/Psychology. NLM UID: 9208821.