• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.78-85
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• 2023

Background: Poor sleep quality is associated with psychoactive substance abuse/addiction/withdrawal. Auricular acupuncture (AA) is a nonpharmacological method used for the treatment of sleep disturbances. This study aimed to examine the quality of sleep before and after AA in participants with mental and behavioral disorders due to prior multiple drug use in the therapeutic community. Methods: This was a consecutive case series of 27 participants (25 male [92.6%]). The median age was 35.0 years (interquartile range [IQR], 29.0-37.2 years), methadone/buprenorphine were not used, and the participants were treated with AA (median number of treatments, 15.0 [IQR, 12.0-18.0]) during a median period of 51.0 days (IQR, 49.0-51.0 days) according to the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA)-Acudetox protocol. Sleep quality was determined using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), a self-rated questionnaire that assesses sleep quality and disturbances over a 1-month interval. Results: The global PSQI score dropped (indicating better sleep quality) by a median of 3.0 points (IQR, 0.0-8.0 points) after treatment. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, with an increase in global PSQI score during AA by 1 point, there was a 0.73-fold reduction in the risk of poor sleep quality post-AA (adjusted odds ratio, 0.73; 95% confidence interval, 0.52-1.01; p<0.055; Nagelkerke's R² =0.66). Conclusion: The results revealed a positive effect of AA (by the NADA-Acudetox protocol) on sleep quality (as measured by PSQI) among participants in a treatment center with mental and behavioral disorders due to multiple drug use.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.22-30
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• 2013

Objectives: Sleep problems has been consistently reported as a suicidal risk factor in adults and, recently, also in adolescents. In this study, dividing study subjects by the previous suicidal behaviors (suicidal vs non-suicidal), we compared the group differences of suicidal risk factors, and examined the possibility of sleep as a suicidal risk factor. Methods: Study subjects were 561 (271 boys and 290 girls) from a community sample of high school students. Suicidal Risk Behavior Checklist, Center for Epidemiological Study-Depression (CES-D), Symptom Checklist-90-Revision (SCL-90-R) Anxiety and Aggression subscale, Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were done. Results: Forty six students (8.1%) reported previous actual self-harm behavior as a suicidal attempt, 181 students (32.4%) reported having suicidal thought only. Three hundred thirty four students (59.5%) reported no previous suicidal behavior (thought and attempt, both). Suicidal behavior group showed higher score on risk behaviors such as school violence, substance use and internet addiction. CES-D, SCL-90-R, PSQI showed significant group difference. Logistic regression analysis showed suicidal risk were significantly associated with depression, stress in suicidal risk factors and sleep latency, daytime dysfunction in PSQI. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) shows the most prolonged sleep latency and increased index of all PSQI components except sleep efficiency in suicidal attempt group. Conclusions: Sleep Problems had a strong association with the suicidal risk behavior in adolescents. Sleep problems, especially, prolonged sleep latency, daytime dysfunction might be important markers for suicidal behavior. Screening for sleep problems in adolescents are encouraged for the parents, school teachers, and related medical physicians.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.13-24
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• 2005

Background and Objectives : Acupuncture as a therapeutic intervention is widely used for the treatment of many functional disorders such as substance abuse and mental dysfunction. Clinical trials are currently underway to determine the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of drug addiction. Yet, there are still many unanswered questions about the basic mechanism of acupuncture. Studies have shown that both the psychomotor stimulant effects and rewarding properties of addictive drugs, including morphine, are sensitized by repeated drug administration and raised the possibility that both of these effects may be linked to the same or closely overlapping the mesolimbic dopamine systems. Neiguan (PC6) point on the pericardium channel which is associated with the brain and its mental function, has been used to treat mental, psychosomatic disorders and gastroenterological disorders. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of acupuncture on repeated morphine-induced changes in extracellular dopamine levels using in vivo microdialysis and to measure the effect of acupuncture on Fos-like immunoreactivity. Methods : Male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated twice a day for three days with increasing doses of morphine (10, 20 and 40 mg/kg, s.c.) or with saline. After 15 days of withdrawal, rats were challenged with morphine hydrochloride (5 mg/kg, s.c.). Acupuncture was applied at bilateral Neiguan (PC6) points for 1 min after the morphine challenge. Results showed that acupuncture at the specific acupoint PC6, but not at control points (tail and HE8) significantly decreased Fos-like immunoreactivity induced by a systemic morphine challenge or a single s.c. morphine injection in the morphine-repeated animals. Results and Conclusions : These results suggest that reduction in sensitization may be one mechanism whereby acupuncture alleviates morphine craving in addicts. Moreover, in a more general sense these results suggest that acupuncture can be used as a therapeutic intervention for correcting reversible malfunction of the body by direction of brain pathway and thus acupuncture can contribute to the biochemical balance in the central nervous system by regulating neurotransmitters.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.982-992
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• 2005

Acupuncture as a therapeutic intervention is widely used for the treatment of many functional disorders such as substance abuse and mental dysfunction. Clinical trials are currently underway to determine the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of drug addiction. Yet, there are still many unanswered questions about the basic mechanism of acupuncture. Studies have shown that both the psychomotor stimulant effects and rewarding properties of addictive drugs, including morphine, are sensitized by repeated drug administration and raised the possibility that both of these effects may De linked to the same or closely overlapping the mesolimbic dopamine systems. Neiguan (PC6) point on the pericardium channel which is associated with the brain and its mental function, has been used to treat mental, psychosomatic disorders and gastroenterological disorders. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of acupuncture on repeated morphine-induced changes in extracellular dopamine levels using in vivo microdialysis and to measure the effect of acupuncture on repeated morphine-induced behavioral changes. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated twice a day for three days with increasing doses of morphine (10, 20 and 40 mg/kg, s.c.) or with saline. After 15 days of withdrawal, rats were challenged with morphine hydrochloride (5 mg/kg, s.c.). Acupuncture was applied at bilateral Neiguan (PC6) points for 1min after the morphine challenge. Results showed that acupuncture at the specific acupoint PC6, but not at control points (tail and HE8) significantly decreased both dopamine release, behavior induced by a systemic morphine challenge or a single s.c. morphine injection in the morphine-repeated animals. These results suggest that reduction in sensitization may be one mechanism whereby acupuncture alleviates morphine craving in addicts. Moreover, in a more general sense these results suggest that acupuncture can be used as a therapeutic intervention for correcting reversible malfunction of the body by direction of brain pathway and thus acupuncture can contribute to the biochemical balance in the central nervous system by regulating neurotransmitters.