Can Qigong Reduce Cocaine Cravings in Early Addiction Recovery?

Feb. 25, 2013 - PRLog -- New Rochelle, NY—Cocaine is one of the most addictive drugs of abuse. Few effective treatments are available to help control cravings and withdrawal symptoms among individuals undergoing therapy to overcome cocaine abuse. Promising results from a study of qigong therapy are published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Journal website at http://www.liebertpub.com/acm.

Individuals undergoing residential substance abuse treatment who received qigong therapy, compared to a similar duration of sham treatment, reported significantly reduced cravings for cocaine in response to viewing and handling items related to cocaine use. The qigong treatment group were also significantly less likely to have symptoms of depression than the sham treatment group.

In the article "A Pilot Study of Qigong for Reducing Cocaine Craving Early in Recovery," David Smelson, PsyD, David Eisenberg, MD, and coauthors demonstrate the feasibility of delivering external qigong therapy (EQT) to a population of recently abstinent cocaine-dependent individuals. In EQT, a trained qigong practitioner using focused intention directs and unblocks bioenergy (qi) to help an individual achieve balance that facilitates healing and equilibration in withdrawal.  

"This early work may have profound consequences in drug rehabilitation programs, and certainly deserves further focused and rigorous evaluation," says Editor-in-Chief Kim A. Jobst, MA, DM, Functional Shift Consulting Ltd., Hereford, U.K.

About the Journal
The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine is a monthly peer-reviewed journal publishing observational, clinical, and scientific reports and commentary intended to help healthcare professionals and scientists evaluate and integrate therapies into patient care protocols and research strategies. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Journal website at http://www.liebertpub.com/acm.

About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Alternative and Complementary Therapies, Medical Acupuncture, and Journal of Medicinal Food. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry’s most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm’s 70 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website at http://www.liebertpub.com.