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Ayurveda and acupuncture in heroin detoxification in Sri Lanka
Author(s) -
McDonald David
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
drug and alcohol review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.018
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1465-3362
pISSN - 0959-5236
DOI - 10.1080/09595239000185461
Subject(s) - sri lanka , detoxification (alternative medicine) , acupuncture , context (archaeology) , alternative medicine , medicine , traditional medicine , heroin , health care , nursing , psychiatry , psychology , sociology , political science , south asia , geography , ethnology , drug , archaeology , pathology , law
The Bandaranaike Memorial Ayurvedic Research Institute in Colombo, Sri Lanka, is applying the traditional medical practices of Ayurveda and acupuncture to the management of withdrawal from heroin. This is part of a wider research effort into the application of Ayurveda in contemporary systems of health care. The detoxification programme is briefly described. Initial observations of programme outcomes suggest that these methods are of similar effectiveness to approaches used in western medicine and are culturally appropriate in the Sri Lankan context.