Although acupuncture has been an integral part of Traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years, the idea of using acupuncture to help people overcome certain addictions is relatively new. In fact, the idea of acupuncture as a form of addiction treatment happened almost by chance in the early 1970s, when a patient who happened to be suffering withdrawal symptoms from an opium addiction reported his symptoms disappeared after receiving electro-acupuncture prior to surgery.
Dr. Michael Smith at Lincoln Hospital in New York and the Height-Ashbury Free Clinic in San Francisco began to fine tune the use of Acupuncture for the treatment of addictions and facilitating the breaking of this difficult cycle. From smoking cessation, drug and alcohol, addiction to sex and overeating, acupuncture and Chinese medicine can support the work of the client and sometimes make all the difference.
