China Exclusive: Massage likely therapeutic for drug addicts

After dinner, hundreds of drug addicts swarmed the yard of a rehab center in Gansu Province to begin their daily massage therapy session.

The 90-minute self-applied treatment, which has its roots in traditional Chinese medicine, is offered at six rehab centers in the land-locked province.

Accompanied by soft, calming music, the patients methodically press 23 acupuncture points on their heads, torsos and feet.

"The massage helps me achieve a sense of deep peace," said Wang Li, one of the patients.

"When I began this program, I had insomnia and my dreams were always about drugs," Wang said. "This therapy has helped me reconnect with my body and fight my addiction."

Most of China's rehabilitation programs take a cold turkey approach to weaning addicts off drugs, although sometimes supplementary medication, such as methadone, is prescribed.

Alternative therapies including herb medication, acupuncture and massage are often used as adjunct of the treatment.

Gansu started to offer the massage therapy in late 2014, said Han Quanli, director of the provincial rehabilitation management.

"The biggest problem drug addicts face is the temptation to relapse," he said. "I was eager to find a way to encourage voluntary withdrawal and achieve long-term recovery."

There were 2.34 million drug addicts recorded nationwide by 2015, about 54 percent of whom had relapsed after rehab.

Han said acupuncture had proven quite effective, but the placement of fine needles is not a skill everyone can easily master, so doctors began to explore more manageable self-practice.

More than 1,600 people have received such a therapy in the last 18 months, he said.

"Withdrawal symptoms abate as they proceed through rehabilitation programs," said Zhao Yaodong, a university professor specializing in traditional Chinese medicine.

"We have seen encouraging results from the massage therapy, which appears to make the detox process easier and more effective," Zhao said.

Clinical studies show the practice can speed up the release of toxins from the body, strengthen the immune system and reduce some of side effects of withdrawal such as anxiety and pain, Zhao said.

A study by the first hospital affiliated to Lanzhou University showed patients who attended the massage sessions had a better chance of recovery than those who did not.

"We will encourage more patients to use this therapy, helping them heal their body and mind, and heal the damage done by drug addiction," Han said. Endi