Can Battlefield Acupuncture Improve Colonoscopy Experience?

Currently, patients undergoing colonoscopy receive sedation, but pain management with acupuncture could be a safer alternative. This article describes 3 cases for which Battlefield Acupuncture was applied during colonoscopy to avoid using opioids for sedation. One case was a patient with a life-threating morphine allergy, and 2 other cases avoided sedation completely. Pain was reduced in all 3 cases to allow completion of colonoscopies without sedation. In Case 2, the patient also gained relief of preexisting mild joint pain. More data are needed, so potentially more patients can indeed avoid morphine/benzodiazepam-based sedation by use of acupuncture to make colonoscopies safer and more pleasant.