The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point
  • About this web log

    This blog ran from 2006 to 2016 and was intended as an objective and dispassionate source of information on the latest CAM research. Since my background is in pharmacy and allopathic medicine, I view all CAM as advancing through the development pipeline to eventually become integrated into mainstream medical practice. Some will succeed while others fail. But all are treated fairly here.

  • About the author

    John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.

  • Common sense considerations

    The material on this weblog is for informational purposes. It is not medical advice or counsel. Be smart, consult your health professional before using CAM.

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  • Recent Comments

    Auricular acupuncture during opiate detoxification

     Researchers from South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, UK set about to determine whether auricular acupuncture leads to less severe opiate withdrawal symptoms and craving when used as an adjunct to methadone detoxification.

    First, the details.

    • 83 opiate dependent individuals participated.
    • Withdrawal severity and craving were recorded using the Short Opiate Withdrawal Scale and an 8-item craving questionnaire.
    • Urine screening was used to assess treatment adherence.

    And, the results.

    • Auricular acupuncture had no effect on withdrawal severity or craving when used in addition to a standard methadone detoxification treatment.

    The bottom line?

    The authors commented, “The failure to find any clinical gains from the adjunctive use of auricular acupuncture during detoxification from opiates raises concerns about the widespread acceptance of this intervention.”

    There seems to be no consensus on the role of auricular acupuncture in substance abuse.

    You can read here and here to become more confused.

    3/17/09 19:28 JR

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