Depression is a mood disorder characterized by both physical and psychological symptoms
that can be detrimental to one's normal daily functioning. Depressed individuals
often suffer from poor sleeping habits, crying spells, anxiety, worry, poor memory,
inability to concentrate, body aches, stomach disturbances and a lack of interest
in activities previously enjoyed. In extreme cases, individuals become helpless
ad hopeless about their lives and suicide id often considered. Modern medicine typically
treats depression with a form of psychotherapy and/or anti-depressant drugs regardless
of the specific symptoms presented by the depressed patient.
In contrast Chinese traditional medicine (TCM) does not recognize depression as
a particular illness per se, but it aims to treat the specific symptoms that are
unique to the individual using a variety of techniques such as acupuncture, Chinese
Herbs, Tui-Na massage, and energetic exercises to restore imbalances found in the
body.
Based on holistic approach, acupuncture consists of fine needles inserted along
various points in the body, with the purpose of stimulating the body's flow of energy
and functionality, known as Qi. Though acupuncture has been traditionally taught
as a preventive form of health care, it has also been proven effective in the treatment
of pain and chronic conditions. Conditions Acupuncture Can Treat.
Since early nineties, studies around the globe have suggested that treating depression
with acupuncture has a positive and holistic effect on depressed patients, particularly
when used in combination with psychotherapy and herbal treatments.
Psychologist John Allen, from the University of Arizona in Tucson , and Acupuncturist
Rosa Schnyer, conducted the very first pilot controlled study on treating depression
symptoms with acupuncture in the western scientific world. In a double blind randomized
study, 34 depressed female patients who met the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria were
assigned to one of three treatment groups for eight weeks.
The first group received acupuncture treatment specifically tailored to their depression
symptoms. The second group received a general acupuncture treatment not specific
to depression, and the third group was placed on a waiting list for acupuncture
but received no treatment. The study found that those in the tailored acupuncture
treatment experienced a significant reduction in symptoms, compared to those in
the non-specific treatment. Moreover, over 505 of the participants no longer met
the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for depression after the study.
The study finings suggest that using acupuncture alone could be as effective as
other types of treatments for relieving depression symptoms typically used in Western
medicine, such as physcothreapy and drugs. While these results are promising and
the United Nations World Health Organization had approved acupuncture as a treatment
for depression, further clinical trials with larger samples are deemed necessary
to endorse this new hope for relief.
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