Determining the Right Acupuncture for Good Recovery Over Neuropsychiatric Trauma

Launched by PAUL CRAWFORD · Aug 24, 2022

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying how a specific acupuncture treatment can help reduce symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in individuals who have experienced neuropsychiatric trauma. The goal is to see if this acupuncture method can improve the well-being of people diagnosed with PTSD, particularly those who have served in the military or are connected to military families.

To participate, you need to be between 18 and 65 years old and meet certain criteria for PTSD. This includes having a score of 31 or higher on a PTSD assessment tool. However, if you are pregnant, have had recent mental health hospitalizations, or are currently receiving other treatments for PTSD, you won't be eligible for this study. Participants will receive acupuncture at Nellis Air Force Base and can expect to be part of a supportive environment focused on their recovery. It's important to note that if a participant becomes pregnant during the study, they will be asked to withdraw for safety reasons.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Active Duty members and DoD beneficiaries(i.e. former military, spouse, dependent child), 18-65 years old
• • Meeting the criteria for PTSD based on PCL-5 (past month scores) score of 31 or higher
• • At least 1 positive response to at least one item on the LEC-5.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Pregnant, may be pregnant, or attempting to become pregnant. There areno known risks of this acupuncture in pregnant patients; however, we will exclude pregnancy due to the location of the needles (right over the uterus in 3rd trimester) and risk of exacerbating anxiety that may cause stress on the baby. Subjects will be told to let us know if they become pregnant so we can disenroll them from the study.
• • Prior treatment with Dragons acupuncture
• • History of hospitalization for mental health reasons within the last year
• • Active Suicidal thoughts (is currently considering suicide or has a plan) or suicide attempt within the last year. This will be assessed by direct questioning.
• • Is currently receiving acupuncture or other non-medication treatments specifically for PTSD (patients can elect to forgo PTSD treatments during the study period and then resume after the study period is over; ie halt therapy during the study period)
• • Legally Authorized Representatives will not be utilized in this study
• • \*\*Patients must be able to get care at Nellis Air Force Base (a military installation) in order to participate in this study\*\*