Practice useful in combating cocaine abuse, study says
　　
　　Acupuncture has become increasingly accepted in the United States, often to treat minor ailments or to help patients stay healthy. But a new study says the ancient medical practice may be effective in treating addiction, including cocaine and heroin addiction.
　　A study done by Yale University researchers involved 82 addicts. In addition to receiving methadone for their heroin addiction, and counseling, they were assigned to one of three groups, one of which received acupuncture. The other groups either received acupuncture, but not in the spots where the needles would help them with their addictions, or they watched relaxing nature videos.

The participants who received acupuncture got treatments five times a week for eight weeks, for about 45 minutes at a time. The group that received the acupuncture had the most cocaine-free urine samples -- more than 50 percent.

Arthur Margolin, Ph.D., a research scientist in Yale's department of psychiatry and the study's principal investigator, says the treatment was not only effective, but also low-cost. It had very few side effects and some long-term benefits, he says in an article in Salon magazine.

To read more about how acupuncture has gone mainstream, you can read this article from USA Weekend.

(From USA Weekend)