Acupuncture is a form of Chinese medicine that is used to manage and treat pain, and is now being used for overall health and wellness by reducing stress.
In the 1900’s, a Chinese doctor developed a 5 point needle protocol (Acudetox) to help patients recover from anesthesia after surgery. He noticed that patients had less likelihood for addiction to pain medications with use of his treatment. When the doctor migrated to the United States, he continued to use the 5 points in the ear, this time to help patients maintain sobriety.
Acudetox Can Help Emotional Trauma
As awareness grew that addictions can often be linked to trauma, the 5 point protocol was used to help patients trying to recover from emotional trauma. The Acudetox was a more popular tool for first responders post 9/11 because they didn’t have to re-live their experience verbally to start to heal. They were able to experience the benefits of decreased anxiety, better sleep and were less likely to turn to drugs and alcohol. The reported symptom relief was significant enough that the protocol is being trialed for veterans of war as well as part of disaster relief efforts for community healing.
The problem with acupuncture and acudetox is that it is very difficult to create a rigorous scientific study to directly correlate a benefit. When you are studying a new drug you go through trials where patients don’t know if they are getting a placebo or the actual medication. A patient knows if they have needles in their body or not, so there is the possibility of a placebo effect that you cannot control for.
How To "Vet" Alternative Treatment Options
There are many alternative medical options available. Some of which are incredibly helpful, and can do great good. Others are extremely dangerous snake oil remedies peddled by scam artists or people who don’t know better. How do you decide if an alternative health therapy is wildly dangerous, pointless and expensive, or actually helpful? It can be stressful and difficult to navigate these waters and know who to trust.
One of the biggest things I assess is the risk and financial burden of the therapy. Yoga for instance can be as inexpensive as a free YouTube video, and the greatest risk is that you over stretch or strain a muscle. Certain supplements or diets on the other hand can cost thousands of dollars and leave you nutrient and energy deprived or even lead to heart attacks and other organ and body system failures. The snake oil salesmen of the “wellness” world prey on the fact that people are vulnerable, scared, frustrated and are not getting the answers they seek from their doctors. People want to be pain free (emotionally and physically); they want to feel and look young and healthy. Many of us will spend a ton of money, effort and take risks at the promise of a better, happier life. If a health option promises a “fast, easy, cure,” it is very likely you are being sold snake oil. Health isn’t anything easy or fast with some kind of end point. Health and healing are a journey.
The Benefits of Acudetox
Back to Acudetox. Acupuncture has been used for hundreds of years with thousands of reports by patients who say it does what the practitioner said it would do. Like massage, it is regulated, but a governing body and practitioners must prove understanding of techniques and pass tests to be able to practice. It is a very low risk, with needle discomfort being the main negative side effect. Some people have a more intense reaction to needles, which can then be easily removed. While acupuncture can be too expensive for the "working man," in my opinion, Acudetox was designed to be accessible to the people who need it most and was never created as a money making health aid.
I believe that alternative health options can be a valuable tool for patients facing complex pain, health and emotional traumas. These options need to be weighed carefully. If you have any further questions about Acudetox or need health navigating the world of wellness as well as modern medicine, please reach out.