Effect of Zhubin (KI9) acupuncture in reducing alcohol craving in patients with alcohol dependence: A randomized placebo-controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of acupuncture on Zhubin (KI9) in reducing alcohol craving in alcohol-dependent patients. METHODS: Twenty male alcohol-dependent patients were randomly assigned to two groups, a treatment group (10 cases, age 43.0±6.8 years) and a placebo group (10 cases, age 44.5±7.9 years). The treatment group was treated with real needle acupuncture on Zhubin (KI9) twice a week for 4 weeks, and the control group was treated with placebo needle acupuncture. Both groups were given acupuncture treatment using Park Sham Device (PSD). Alcohol craving was measured by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) before treatment to establish a baseline, and after 1, 2, and 4 weeks of treatment. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to determine the main and interaction effects of time and on the outcome measure (VAS). RESULTS: There was a significant effect of time on VAS score (df=3, F=13.3, P<0.01). Main effect of group on VAS score was significant (df=1, F=10.9, P<0.01) and the time×group interaction was also significant (df=3, F=4.7, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Real-needle acupuncture therapy on Zhubin (KI9) showed effectiveness in reducing alcohol craving. These results strongly suggest the usefulness of acupuncture therapy on Zhubin (KI9) in preventing a relapse in alcohol dependent patients.

Involvement of intracellular calcium on the phosphorylation of spinal N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor following electroacupuncture stimulation in rats.

This study examined the role of the intracellular calcium chelator, bis-(2-aminophenoxy)-ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (BAPTA), in modulating the phosphorylation of the spinal N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) NR1 and NR2B subunits after 2Hz electroacupuncture (EA) in rats. The level of EA analgesia was reduced by an intraperitoneal injection of BAPTA at a higher dose after terminating EA stimulation. At 60min after the EA treatment, the total number of c-fos-immunolabeled neurons in each region of the dorsal horn in lumbar segments (L4-5) was decreased by the BAPTA injection, particularly in the Nucleus proprius. The BAPTA injection decreased significantly the mean integrated optical density of phosphorylated NR1 subunit in the superficial laminae and neck region, and the phosphorylated NR2B subunit in the superficial laminae. Western blot analyses confirmed decreased levels of both phosphorylated subunits. In conclusion, intracellular calcium may play an important role in low-frequency EA analgesia by modulating the phosphorylation state of the spinal NMDAR subunits.