A TREATMENT OF CHRONIC ALCOHOLISM BY
COMBINING ACUPUNCTURE AND SUPERVISION

Andreas H. BAYER
Austrian Medical Acupuncture Association. Schwindgasse 3/9, A-1040 Vienna, Austria.

Aim: Alcoholism is a rising problem not only in developed countries. Existing treatment schemes are expensive. We tried to develop a treatment alternative which is able to be used in current ambulant setting. It involves both TCM techniques as well as medication and psychotherapeutic approach treating out-patients.
Methods: 20 volunteer patients have been treated with body and ear acupuncture of alcoholism in the past 21/2 years. They were classified (by using TCM diagnosis) into 5 subtypes of empty fire, and received body and ear acupuncture accordingly. Patients received treatment initially everyday, followed by 2 to 3 treatments weekly. Further treatments followed patient demands. Supervision was applied from the beginning as well as family/employer involvement. All of them were more than 5 years alcohol dependent. 15% (n=3) were periodic boozers. 25% (n=5) passed initial inward withdrawal-on own request or due to risk wagering. 5% (n=1) were polytoxicomanic.
Results: We achieved a lasting complete recovery rate of 80% (n=16) (no drinking episodes for one to two years), a lasting partial recovery rate of 20% (n=4)(1 to 2 drinking episodes since treatment was discontinued) with an average treatment period of 5 months. No patient discontinued therapy. 4 patients 920%) still receive occasional therapy. These results are higher than all previous respective studies.
Conclusion: In our opinion, that the good study results have been achieved because all participants are still socially and economically integrated. The good results further reflect the success of the basic idea in this study, that is, alcoholism is to be regarded as a polycausative disease with polymorph multi-layered impact on the individual affected. Thus we conclude, the combination of different treatment approaches (medication, body and ear acupuncture, psychotherapeutic supervision, family involvement) is more successful than each technique applied on its own.

Clinical Research & Application
ENT & Ophthalmology

ACUPUNCTURE AND ALLERGY

Evemarie WOLKENSTEIN
A-1090 Vienna, Austria.

A study of the protective effect of an acupuncture therapy against a nasal allergen-provoked rhinitis was undertaken on patients suffering from seasonal allergic rhinitis. The effects of a specific acupuncture therapy were compared with those of a non-specific acupuncture (placebo). The allergen-provacation was carried out in the "Vienna Provocation Chamber" (Horak 1987).
24 patients suffering from seasonal allergic rhinitis were allocated at random either to Group B and given a specific ("verum") acupuncture therapy or to Group A and given a non-specific(placebo). a nasal allergen-provocation was carried out before onset and after completion of nine treatments. The objective and subjective results of the allergen-provocation in the VCC were not able to verify a protective effect of the acupuncture therapy. The "Diary of Complaints(Symptoms)" which the participants had to keep over the two months following the treatment showed a definite reduction of the subjective complaints in Group B during the second month. The range of scatter was too great for a statistically significant result.