Substance Abuse
Conditions
Keywords
acupuncture, relaxation response, homeless, veterans, randomized trials
Brief summary
This one-year pilot study has two specific aims: 1. to determine the feasibility of conducting a randomized controlled trial of acupuncture and the relaxation response for substance abuse among homeless veterans who are in a domiciliary care program, and 2. to collect and analyze pilot data to estimate the effect size for planning a future larger study to fully test the hypothesis of the effectiveness of acupuncture and the RR in reducing cravings for substances (alcohol and drugs), and the corollary effects on quality of life.
Detailed description
Substance abuse is one of the most important risk factors for homelessness. A high proportion of the US homeless population are veterans, in large part due to the high prevalence of substance abuse among veterans. Thus, effective substance abuse treatment in veterans is essential to preventing homelessness, as well as reintegrating those already homeless. Traditional substance abuse therapies have shown inconsistent effectiveness, suggesting a need for alternative therapies. Acupuncture and the relaxation response (RR) are two commonly used complementary and alternative medicine modalities that have shown benefit in some studies. However, they have not been studied in homeless veterans who have completed detoxification treatment and are in early remission. Acupuncture and the RR share common features, yet have distinct differences. Acupuncture has to be administered by acupuncturists, while RR elicitation is a self-care strategy that can be learned and practiced anytime and anywhere. We propose a pilot study to determine the feasibility of conducting a three-arm randomized controlled trial on veterans in the Bedford Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans program and to collect pilot data for planning future larger studies to test the effectiveness of acupuncture and the RR in reducing substance craving and improving anxiety and quality of life.
Interventions
PROCEDUREAcupuncture
BEHAVIORALRelaxation Response
Sponsors
Samueli Institute for Information Biology
VA Boston Healthcare System
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
1. Have a substance abuse or dependence problem of any type of substance 2. Stay in the domiciliary for at least 10 weeks after the study entry to complete the study.
Exclusion criteria
1. Schizophrenia or psychotic diagnoses 2. Bleeding disorders (hemophilia or thrombocytopenia) 3. An allergy to metals (needles).
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Changes in self-reported substance craving rating from baseline to 10 week | baseline and 10 week follow up |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Changes in anxiety level from baseline to 10 week | baseline and 10 week follow up |
| Changes in quality of life from baseline to 10 week | baseline and 10 week follow up |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed