Acupuncture has been used to successfully treat anxiety, stress, depression, and other conditions that Western Medicine considers "psychological" for thousands of years.
Hundreds of studies show that acupuncture can effectively treat physical conditions such as chronic pain and arthritis, but most people are not aware of the growing scientific support for acupuncture as a treatment for depression and related conditions.
A groundbreaking pilot study from the University of Arizona in 1998 managed to apply the structure of a double-blind, randomized, control trial to the traditional Chinese approach of individually tailoring each treatment to the needs of the patient. (They succeeded at this by producing a acupuncture diagnosis and treatment manual in which each practitioner had to produce individual treatment plans for each patient.)
At the end of the study 64% of the patients were in full remission.
Another trial from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Mainz showed that patients received a significantly higher therapeutic benefit from acupuncture plus medication versus medication alone.
A separate, randomized control trial in Germany had similar successful results for acupuncture, though it seemed to imply that the number of treatment sessions and the skill of the acupuncturist in choosing the right points was a factor in the effectiveness of the treatment. Most acupuncturists would agree.
A series of trails at the Institute of Mental Health at Beijing University compared the treatment of depression using electro-acupuncture versus a tricyclic antidepressant. Results consistently showed that acupuncture was as effective as the antidepressant in treating depression, and was even more effective in alleviating the symptoms of anxiety... without the side effects of medication.
The British Acupuncture Council lists seven controlled trails, four uncontrolled trials, and one case study on this subject. Other sources report that in China multiple trails have been done, though not always by Western empirical standards.
The last two decades has also produced hundreds of uncontrolled and sometimes anecdotal studies of acupuncture for depression, suggesting that acupuncture can have a positive effect on depressed patients, especially in combination with psychotherapy and herbal treatments.
In related research, Harvard Medical School proved that stimulating specific acupressure points can send signals to deactivate areas of the brain that are responsible for the experience of pain, fear, and anxiety.
Chinese traditional medicine does not recognize depression or anxiety as particular illnesses per se, and it views the symptoms of anxiety and depression as physical in nature... but caused by imbalances in the Chi.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) aims to treat the specific symptoms that are unique to each individual by using a variety of methods such as acupuncture, Chinese herbs, tui-na massage, and energetic exercises (Tai Chi and Chi Gong) to restore imbalances found in the body.
Click to find an acupuncturist in your area. Remember to ask about the practitioner's experience in treating depression with acupuncture.
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| Recommended Books: Acupuncture in the Treatment: A Manual for Practice and Research by John Allen, Ph.D., and Rosa Schnyer, Ted Kaptchuck, OMD preface, Charles Livingston Pubs., 2001.
By the authors of the University of Arizona study. This important manual incorporates both Chinese and Western perspectives with the acupuncture protocols established in the study.
Curing Depression Naturally With Chinese Medicine by Rosa Schnyer and Bob Flaws, Blue Poppy Press, 1998.
The book covers diagnosis, Chinese herbal approaches to depression, home therapies for depression and self-help acupuncture points.
Some of the points discussed under "Chinese self-massage" are the same as those used in EFT.
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