Acupuncture has no side effects like antidepressant medications: Since no medication is injected through the needles, it has no adverse side effects and can be used safely when concurrently taking medication.
People with depression may benefit as much from acupuncture as they do from counseling: A new study from the University of York in the UK found that 1 in 3 patients was no longer depressed after three months of acupuncture. While it is strongly recommended to work with the right therapist regardless, because both the mind and body need to be addressed, the study showed there could be significant benefit in treating depression with acupuncture.
[SOURCE: PLOS Medicine, online September 24, 2013]
Acupuncture triggers the release of more of its own neurotransmitters: Acupuncture triggers the body to release more of its own serotonin (5-HT) and other chemicals in the brain more efficiently, to feel better and improve moods, resulting in a better sense of well-being, improved concentration and a feeling of being more centered.
Studies On Acupunture
World Health Organization Recognizes Acupuncture in the Treatment of Depression: The World Health Organization classifies depression as a condition for which acupuncture has been proven through clinical trials to be an effective treatment. Indeed, a research review published in 2008 sized up eight small trials (with a total of 477 patients) and concluded that acupuncture “could significantly reduce the severity of depression.” On the other hand, a 2010 research review analyzed data from 30 trials (with a total of 2,812 patients) and found “insufficient evidence of a consistent beneficial effect from acupuncture” in treatment of depression. However, those trials included two studies showing that acupuncture may have an additive benefit when combined with medication (compared with the use of medication alone).
{ mith CA, Hay PP, Macpherson H. “Acupuncture for depression.” Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2010 20;(1):CD004046.
Wang H, Qi H, Wang BS, Cui YY, Zhu L, Rong ZX, Chen HZ. “Is acupuncture beneficial in depression: a meta-analysis of 8 randomized controlled trials?” J Affect Disord. 2008 111(2-3):125-34.
World Health Organization. “Acupuncture: Review and Analysis of Reports on Controlled Clinical Trials: 3. Diseases and disorders that can be treated with acupuncture“. 2003.]
Acupuncture is beneficial when combined with medication in treatment of Depression: Other research suggests that acupuncture may be beneficial when combined with medication in the treatment of depression. In a 2009 trial involving 80 patients with major depressive disorder, researchers found that combining a low dose of fluoxetine (an antidepressant) with acupuncture for six weeks was as effective as a standard dose of fluoxetine in treatment of depression. Those receiving acupuncture also showed better improvement in symptoms of anxiety and fluoxetine’s side effects.
Zhang WJ, Yang XB, Zhong BL. “Combination of acupuncture and fluoxetine for depression: a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial.” J Altern Complement Med. 2009 15(8):837-4
Study: Electroacupuncture Helps With Depression
A recent research study from Hong Kong shows acupuncture with electrical stimulation can quickly reduce the severity of depressive symptoms to help patients dealing with depression recover faster using alternative methods. Acupuncture needles were inserted in certain places in the head and body, and a light current of electrical stimulation was sent to the points at a low frequency. In this study, the researcher called his treatment DCEA which stands for Dense Cranial Electro Acupuncture Stimulation, was used to treat Depression more effectively in as little as three weeks in this study.
Researchers at the School of Chinese Medicine at The University of Hong Kong, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine and the Department of Psychiatry in Kowloon Hospital conducted a study of a randomized controlled trial used this method to treat patients with major depressive disorder (MDD).
For the study, 73 participants, ages 25 to 65 years, had been diagnosed with MDD and had suffered with the disorder from several months to several years. They were treated with 9 sessions in 3 weeks. Each session lasted 45 minutes.
Assessments given by both physicians and the patients themselves revealed that the acupuncture group had greater improvement than the control group. On the 21st day after receiving treatment, the acupuncture group had a greater improvement in both the clinical depression assessment and the self-rating depression scale. Furthermore, strong improvements were observed in the acupuncture patients as early as at day 3, and this continued until the end of the treatment.
[Acupuncture Today June, 2012, Vol. 13, Issue 06]
What You Need to Know About Acupuncture for Depression Before Starting
Acupuncture has no side effects like anti-anxiety medications. Since no medication is injected through the needles, it has no adverse side effects and can be used concurrently with medications.
Give the process an honest effort, and at least several treatments before you decide if it helps or not. Be realistic!
If you are on medication, don’t expect to flush your pills down the toilet after your first visit. Rapidly going off of your medications is a recipe for bad side effects. If you are on medication, make no changes without speaking to your psychiatrist. Some may be able to reduce the level of medication, while others use the acupuncture, in addition, to get added benefits. Acupuncture fills in the “gap” that medications may not provide. We work with your case not against it. It is recommended that you should work closely with your mental health professional to monitor and reduce the medication accordingly.
Find the right acupuncturist for you! Acupuncture is more than just needles. You need to be able to relate to the acupuncturist as a person.
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