Efficacy of Electro-Acupuncture Therapy for Patients With Methadone Maintenance Treatment

Overview

The population of drug abuse(heroin) had reached about 200,000 in Taiwan, and the age distribution is mainly in young adults. The social, medical and economic problems of drug addiction are profound and include lost productivity, disrupted relationships, crime and violence, HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases. Methadone substitution therapy has been the treatment of first choice for opiate dependence, but patient on Methadone substitution therapy report a wide side effects, and relapse rate is up to two third of methadone treatment patients between one to two years. This research is aim to build a development model. First of all, investigators plan to review some convincing articles and then analyze the efficacy of TCM in drug addiction. According to review articles and experience of professionals, investigators establish a model for TCM included in addiction treatment. Investigators will cooperate with Western medicine together , through common assessment scales to confirm the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine and compare with current routine treatment.

Drug addiction is a chronic medical illness and an important public health problem worldwide. The population of drug abuse had reached about 200,000 in Taiwan, and the age distribution is mainly in young adults. The social, medical and economic problems of drug addiction are profound and include lost productivity, disrupted relationships, crime and violence, HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases. Therefore, drug addiction treatment is a hot issue of Ministry of Health and Welfare . Methadone substitution therapy has been the treatment of first choice for opiate dependence, but patient on Methadone substitution therapy report a wide side effects, and relapse rate is up to two third of methadone treatment patients between one to two years. Therefore, adjuvant therapeutic interventions for drug addiction patients are needed. Contrast to conventional Western medicine, traditional Chinese medicine is the most common used therapy of complementary and alternative medicine. However, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) was excluded from the service for drug addiction treatment. Investigators need to establish a model for TCM as an alternative therapy included in addiction treatment and provide a better care system for drug addiction. This research is aim to build a development model. First of all, investigators plan to review some convincing articles and then analyze the efficacy of TCM in drug addiction. According to review articles and experience of professionals, we establish a model for TCM included in addiction treatment. Investigators will cooperate with Western medicine together , through common assessment scales to confirm the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine and compare with current routine treatment. According to above experience, investigators provide a Standard Operation Procedure for TCM treatment for drug addiction and policy suggestion. For drug addiction , this factually achieves communication and integration of Chinese and Western medicine, and benefits the public.