EAR ACUPUNCTURE: TRAINING NEW PROVIDERS

For Bryan Shelby, MD, the answer is very likely. Before becoming an addictions fellow, he had his own experience with acupuncture: after two treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome, his symptoms “pretty much went away.” He completed an acupuncture program at Harvard Medical School and later trained with Katurah Bryant. As a fellow at the VA hospital, Shelby offered ear acupuncture to patients in the buprenorphine clinic. Buprenorphine (suboxone) is a maintenance drug for people recovering from opiate addictions. Acupuncture is used to help these patients reduce stress and anxiety.

“The vast majority of patients find it very relaxing,” says Shelby. “It’s impressive.”

For Katurah Bryant, it’s gratifying to train new providers every year. In addition to the Yale fellows, she has taught acupuncture to clinicians at New Haven’s Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center and other places. But her greatest joy comes from helping patients.

“It’s all about their recovery,” she says, “and empowering them to make positive choices for their lives.”

In July 2009, for the first time, voluntary acupuncture training was offered to incoming addiction fellows and psychology interns from Yale University School of Medicine. Bryant led the training along with John Antonucci, MD of the Newington, Connecticut VA Medical Center. Every fellow in the addictions program participated.

Ismene Petrakis, MD, Chief of Psychiatry at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, directs the world-renowned Yale Department of Psychiatry training program in addictions. She says medical students and practitioners have become increasingly interested in learning about alternative treatments and how they can be incorporated into medical practice.

According to Petrakis, research has shown that acupuncture is effective for addiction treatment. “The best evidence is when used as an adjunctive treatment for opioid detoxification,” she explains. “I have encouraged the fellows and junior faculty to review the literature and decide for themselves how likely it is to be an effective treatment.”