|
The failings and problems associated with western medicine are leading many people to alternative methods of getting treatment for whatever problems they suffer. Whether they look to ancient civilizations’ medical treatments or simply methods that have fallen out of favor in the past few decades, there is great interest in treatments past rather than looking to the newest drug. This is true for various illnesses, including depressive illnesses. Acupuncture and depression may not seem a likely duo but research is finding that acupuncture can improve symptoms of depression and help improve the effectiveness of depression treatments. Unlike drug treatments for depression, acupuncture does not have the many (sometimes intolerable) side effects that make people discontinue treatment.
Acupuncture and Depression
Acupuncture is believed to have been first practiced by the Chinese about two millennia ago and only arrived in the United States in the 1970s with the start of the new age movement of medical treatments. Initially, it was hard to find anyone who knew how to do acupuncture treatments correctly, but with people going abroad to study and acupuncture therapists coming to the US that is no longer a problem. It is estimated that about 500 million dollars is spent on acupuncture treatments in the US each year.
Acupuncture regulates the internal balances of the spirit, emotions, physical body and mental state; which is why acupuncture and depression go hand in hand. By rebalancing these physical and metaphysical states (the body’s yin and yang), you can control and eliminate depression by improving the flow of the body’s energy. If that sounds a little too ‘out there’ for you, it simply means the acupuncture points on the body stimulate segments of the central nervous system and alter the brain chemistry which realigns the neurotransmitters in the brain which results in a cessation of depressive symptoms.
Acupuncture Used for Depression
There have been various studies with blind control groups on the effectiveness of acupuncture on depression. The dropout rates on the studies are surprisingly low which means the accuracy of the studies is pretty good. As many as half of the people in blind studies (where one group uses needles on the right areas and the other uses them on random areas) have a significant improvement in symptoms in the correctly placed needle groups. In the placebo group only about 20% reported any improvement.
Acupuncture is also an effective treatment against nausea (from surgery and chemotherapy), substance addiction, headaches, menstrual cramps, fibromyalgia, pain, arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, asthma and in stroke rehabilitation. Researchers are currently looking at acupuncture for use in treating ADHD, pregnancy complications and other problems.
Advantages of Acupuncture and Depression
The greatest advantage of this treatment is that the cost is considerably lower than traditional therapies (drug and talk therapies) and the majority of insurance companies cover acupuncture as therapy for depression. It can also be used for patients from any linguistic background because there is no talk therapy required between acupuncturist and patient. Acupuncture can also ease the transition between drug and herbal treatments and when coming off of drug therapies. While needles are used, they are not the same as the hollow needles for injections and blood work. There is very little or no pain associated with acupuncture therapy. |
