Acupuncture and the Opioid Epidemic in America

Chang-zhen Gong1, Wei Liu1
1American Academy of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, Roseville, USA

Tóm tắt

The opioid epidemic has become a signifificant public health crisis in the United States of America. This crisis has elicited a response at high levels of governmental and health care organizations including the American College of Physicians, the Food and Drug Administration, the Joint Commission, the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, the National Association of Attorneys General, and the White House. In various ways, these organizations have recognized that acupuncture can play an important role in dealing with the opioid epidemic. This paper presents and analyzes the scientifific evidence supporting the effificacy of acupuncture in regard to opioid addiction.

Tài liệu tham khảo

Understanding the epidemic. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/epidemic/index.html Trump's opioid commission just released its final recommendations. Available at: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/11/trumps-opioid-commission-justreleased-its-final-recommendations/ The first count of fentanyl deaths in 2016: up 540% in three years. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/09/02/upshot/fentanyl-drug-overdosedeaths.html U.S. traffic deaths rise for a second straight year. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/15/business/highwaytraffic-safety.html In one year, drug overdoses killed more Americans than the entire Vietnam War did. Available at: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/6/6/15743986/opioid-epidemicoverdose-deaths-2016 Opioid painkiller prescribing. Availabe at: https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/opioid-prescribing/index.html UN: U.S. consumes 80% of world's oxycodone. Available at: https://www.newsday.com/news/health/un-u-sconsumes-80-of-world-s-oxycodone-1.3469762 Americans consume vast majority of the world's opioids. Available at: https://www.cnbc.com/2016/04/27/americansconsume-almost-all-of-the-global-opioid-supply.html Prescription nation 2016. Available at: http://www.nsc.org/RxDrugOverdoseDocuments/Prescription-Nation-2016-American-Drug-Epidemic.pdf Prescription opioid overdose data. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/overdose.html Opioid addiction 2016 facts and figures. Available at: https://www.asam.org/docs/default-source/advocacy/opioidaddiction-disease-facts-figures.pdf Qaseem A, Wilt TJ, McLean RM, Forciea MA; Clinical Guidelines Committee of the American College of Physicians. Noninvasive treatments for acute, subacute, and chronic low back pain: a clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med 2017;166:514–530. FDA education blueprint for health care providers involved in the management or support of patients with pain. Available at: https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/NewsEvents/ucm553931.htm Jones CM, McAninch JK. Emergency department visits and overdose deaths from combined use of opioids and benzodiazepines. Am J Prev Med 2015;49:493–501. Joint Commission Enhances Pain Assessment and Management Requirements for Accredited Hospitals. Available at: https://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/18/Joint_Commission_Enhances_Pain_Assessment_and_Management_Requirements_for_Accredited_Hospitals1.PDF Pain management and the opioid epidemic balancing societal and individual benefits and risks of prescription opioid use. Available at: https://www.nap.edu/read/24781/chapter/1 Attorneys General Urge Health Insurance Companies to reduce provider incentives for prescribing pain killers. Available at: http://www.naag.org/naag/media/naag-news/attorneys-general-urge-health-insurance-companies-toreduce-provider-incentives-for-prescribing-pain-killers.php HHS acting secretary declares public health emergency to address national opioid crisis. Available at: https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2017/10/26/hhs-acting-secretary-declarespublic-health-emergency-address-national-opioid-crisis.html The President's comission on combating drug addiction and the opioid crisis. Available at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/images/Final_Report_Draft_11-1-2017.pdf Vickers AJ, Cronin AM, Maschino AC, Lewith G, MacPherson H, Foster NE, et al; Acupuncture Trialists' Collaboration. Acupuncture for chronic pain: individual patient data metaanalysis. Arch Intern Med 2012;172:1444–1453. Weidenhammer W, Streng A, Linde K, Hoppe A, Melchart D. Acupuncture for chronic pain within the research program of 10 German Health Insurance Funds—basic results from an observational study. Complement Ther Med 2007;15:238–246. Gong C, Mega S. Clinical trials prove acupuncture's effectiveness for chronic pain. Int J Clin Acupunc 2014;23:210–215. Lin JG, Chan YY, Chen YH. Acupuncture for the treatment of opiate addiction. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2012:739045. Tedesco D, Gori D, Desai KR, Asch S, Carroll IR, Curtin C, et al. Drugfree interventions to reduce pain or opioid consumption after total knee arthroplasty: a systematic review and metaanalysis. JAMA Surg 2017:e172872. Crawford P, Penzien DB, Coeytaux R. Reduction in pain medication prescriptions and self-reported outcomes associated with acupuncture in a military patient population. Med Acupunct 2017;29:229–231. Jin W, Kim MS, Jang EY, Lee JY, Lee JG, Kim HY, et al. Acupuncture reduces relapse to cocaine-seeking behavior via activation of GABA neurons in the ventral tegmental area. Addict Biol 2018;23:165–181. Chan YY, Lo WY, Li TC, Shen LJ, Yang SN, Chen YH, et al. Clinical efficacy of acupuncture as an adjunct to methadone treatment services for heroin addicts: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Chin Med 2014;42:569–586. Wu LZ, Cui CL, Tian JB, Ji D, Han JS. Suppression of morphine withdrawal by electroacupuncture in rats: dynorphin and kappa-opioid receptor implicated. Brain Res 1999;851:290–296. Hu L, Chu NN, Sun LL, Zhang R, Han JS, Cui CL. Electroacupuncture treatment reverses morphine-induced physiological changes in dopaminergic neurons within the ventral tegmental area. Addict Biol 2009;14:431–437. Wen HL, Ho WK, Wong HK, Mehal ZD, Ng YH, Ma L. Reduction of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) andcortisol in drug addicts treated by acupuncture and electrical stimulation (AES). Comp Med East West 1978;6:61–66.