WESTON, W.Va. (WBOY) — A pilot program for detoxification therapy using acupuncture will be implemented at William R. Sharpe Jr. Hospital in Weston.
The West Virginia Department of Health Facilities (DHF) announced the new program in a press release Thursday, saying acupuncture can help relieve anxiety, stress, paranoia and aggression in drug addicts.
In acupuncture, a practitioner inserts thin needles into a patient’s skin and manipulates them by hand or with an electrical current. The technique originates from Chinese medicine and has been used to treat health problems for at least 2,500 years.
Sharp Hospital Unit Manager Teresa Hoskins will lead the pilot program, DHF said in a release.
“Studies have shown that inserting five needles into both ears, once per day for three days, can reduce recurrence by 45 percent,” Hoskins said in the release, “and if patients decide to continue treatment after that, studies suggest the chance of recurrence is reduced by another 85 percent.”
The program will follow guidelines set out by the National Acupuncture and Detoxification Association and will initially only be available to patients on Dr Hoskins’ 14-patient ward.
Sharp Hospital plans to begin offering these treatment services by August 1, 2024.
Once the pilot program is over, its success will be evaluated by conducting a post-medication survey to analyze patient behavior and determine whether medication has been reduced as a result of acupuncture treatment.
From there, the DHF will decide whether to perform further acupuncture treatments at Sharp.
