Body of Research

Battlefield acupuncture, a form of auricular protocols based in auriculotherapy and auricular medicine, is an ear acupuncture procedure used in a number of medical facilities throughout the Department of Defense (DoD) for treatment with positive impact in polytrauma, post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury as well as pain management. The DoD seeks nonpharmacologic/opioid pain management across the continuum of care, and this paper presents interest for, and progress related to, the research and use of acupuncture. Abstract on PubMed.gov.

Walker PH, Pock A, Ling CG, Kwon KN, Vaughan M. Battlefield acupuncture: Opening the door for acupuncture in Department of Defense/Veteran's Administration health care. Nurs Outlook. 2016 Sep-Oct;64(5):491-8. doi: 10.1016/j.outlook.2016.07.008. Epub 2016 Jul 20. PMID: 27601311.