ABSTRACT
Background: Although the 5-point acudetox National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) protocol was developed to treat addictions, it has always been assumed that the healing capacities of this method go far beyond that application.
Objective: The purpose of this research was to evaluate if the 5-point acudetox ear acupuncture protocol has an immediate stress (prolactin; PRL)–reducing effect and, if so, if the effect is more significant than social support and informal supportive conversation. Materials and Methods: A randomized, double-blinded, controlled trial was conducted at the Sze ´chenyi Health Center in Budapest, Hungary. Forty-four patients were included in the study: 22 in an experimental group and 22 in a control group. Volunteer students and workers ages 25–60 were included. Ear acupuncture was performed on 5 points: Shen Men; Sympathetic; Kidney; Liver; and Lung. Each blood sample was taken between 2 pm and 4 pm by the same person. The starting and endpoints of the 12 principal meridian pairs of the body were measured during MeriDiM screening.
Results: As a result of the 5-point acupuncture treatment, both prolactin levels and skin conductivity decreased in the experimental group, while there was no significant decrease in the control group.
Conclusions: Acupuncture is a potentially useful complementary therapeutic strategy to Western medicine for stress-level management. Using the 5-point acudetox NADA protocol, can reduce stress level (PRL, skin conductance response) significantly. Further studies with better designs are needed.
Authors: Istva’n Sze ´chenyi, PsyD,1,2 Zsuzsanna Antal, 1 and Gabriella Hegyi, MD, PhD
Quelle: MEDICAL ACUPUNCTURE Volume 27, Number 1, 2015