UBC Research Shows Acupuncture Reduces Substance Use in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside

A UBC researcher has shown that acupuncture treatment can be used to reduce substance use among addicts in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside (DTES).



Patricia Janssen, an Assistant Professor of Health Care and Epidemiology, led a team that offered acupuncture to residents of the DTES on a voluntary, drop-in basis five days a week. Over 2,700 treatments were given over a three-month period at two locations in the DTES.

Subjects reported a reduction in overall use of substances in addition to a decrease in intensity of withdrawal symptoms.

The study is the first of its kind in Canada. It has been published recently in the Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine.

Acupuncture is an inexpensive treatment and it shows real promise as part of a community-based harm reduction program to reduce substance use,¡± says Janssen. ¡°A reduction in symptoms can provide a window of opportunity for users to become engaged in more comprehensive and long-term approaches to addressing their addiction.¡±

The researchers wanted to determine if addicts in the DTES would accept acupuncture as a treatment, to assess safety for individuals providing the service and to explore the effectiveness of acupuncture as an additional treatment for substance use in this setting.

The DTES has an estimated 4,000 addicts concentrated in an area of 10 city blocks.

Acupuncture was offered at a drop-in facility open to the general public, the Vancouver Native Health Society Positive Outlook Drop-in, and at the Salvation Army Harbour Lights detoxification and treatment facility.

Male and female participants, most of whom were aged 30-49, received acupuncture at five points in each ear, at about 10-day to two-week intervals. They reported reduction in severity of withdrawal symptoms that included shakes, stomach cramps, hallucinations, and suicidal feelings. Participants who attended treatment at least four times reported a significant decrease in their drug use.

Acupuncture to treat substance use has been used in many North American addiction treatment facilities since the 1970s. It was first used in a community facility in the DTES in 1999, when the UBC study was undertaken. Acupuncture treatment for substance use continues to be offered at the Salvation Army Harbour Lights Centre.

Janssen, who is also a scientist at the Child & Family Research Institute, and a team of researchers will begin next month to conduct a trial of acupuncture to help chemically dependent women reduce or eliminate their use of illicit drugs during pregnancy. The trial takes place at BC Women's Hospital & Health Centre. Researchers will compare severity of withdrawal symptoms observed in newborns born to women who have received acupuncture during pregnancy with those among newborns whose mothers did not receive acupuncture. The study is funded by the Toronto Sick Kids Foundation.