Acupuncture-related techniques for the treatment of opiate addiction: a case of translational medicine

Abstract

Drug addiction is a chronic brain disorder characterized by withdrawal symptoms that occur during drug abstinence and a high tendency of relapse. Compared with the currently available pharmacological interventions, acupuncture therapy has the potential to help drug addicts stay away from drugs without major adverse side effects. It has taken decades of research to optimize the parameters of electrical acupoint stimulation for detoxification and for relapse prevention, as well as to establish a safe and easy procedure by which drug addicts can use it on themselves. The discovery that acupuncture can trigger the release of opioid substances from the brain in the 1970s provided the inspiration. Following this, basic research on animals made it possible to understand the mechanisms of action and establish the procedure for treating drug addictions. This article reviews the past, present, and foreseeable future regarding the use of acupuncture-related technique for the treatment of opiate addiction from the perspective of translational medicine.

Keywords

morphine / dependence / withdrawal / addiction / dynorphins / acupuncture / electroacupuncture / transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) / enkephalins / endorphins

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (Nos. 2007CB512501 and 2009CB522003).

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

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