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Opioid weaning made possible by pain control with Battlefield Acupuncture

Opioid-based pain management is co-responsible for the opioid overdose epidemic in the United States, resulting in a fourfold increase in overdose-related deaths between 2000 and 2015. Alternative approaches for pain management such as acupuncture are needed. A simple five-point auricular acupuncture protocol termed “Battlefield Acupuncture” (BFA), focusing on pain relief, was developed in the United States by Dr Niemtzow in 2001. It can easily be taught within 4 h. Although the effectiveness of BFA has not been thoroughly validated in large randomized controlled trials, individual experiences suggest effectiveness in some patients with chronic or acute pain. Here we present two cases in which BFA improved pain control and allowed for complete cessation of opioids, with clearly improved performance levels in one of the cases. Both patients gave verbal consent to undergo BFA and gave their written consent for this case report.