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Short-Term Treatment Effects of a Substance Use Disorder Therapy Involving Traditional Amazonian Medicine
journal Article
2019
I., Berlowitz
H., Walt
C., Ghasarian
F., Mendive
C., Martin-Soelch
Pages: 323 - 334
Abstract
Chronic illness management today commonly involves alternative medicines. Substance use disorder (SUD), as a chronic psychosomatic illness, might benefit from a similar approach. The accredited Takiwasi Center offers such an SUD treatment program involving Amazonian medicine combined with psychotherapy. The current study assessed this integrative program‘s short-term therapeutic effects. We measured baseline data from 53 dependence-diagnosed males admitted to treatment (T1) and repeated clinical outcome variables at treatment completion (T2). Paired samples t-tests were used to assess changes between T1 and T2 (n = 36). Nearly all participants (age M= 30.86, SD= 8.17) were dependent on multiple substances, most prominently cannabis, alcohol, and cocaine-related drugs. A significant decrease (T1 to T2) was found for addiction severity outcomes drug use (p <.001), alcohol use (p <.001), psychiatric status (p <.001), and social/familial relationships (p <.001). Emotional distress also diminished significantly (p <.001), as did substance craving (p <.001). Quality of life increased significantly from T1 to T2 (p <.001). Our results provide first indications for significantly improved SUD symptoms after the Amazonian medicine-based treatment. These findings are preliminary given the design, but strongly encourage further investigation of this therapy, which in the long term may open new therapeutic avenues for SUDs.