Acupuncture for Depressionhttps://unsplash.com/@paulgilmore_?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText

Acupuncture eases severe depression

Are you seeking a more holistic approach to tackle your depression? Imagine a remedy that doesn’t solely rely on popping pills. You may have read the article on stuff.co.nz titled “Needles ease depression“. The article cites a small Australian study, which shows that acupuncture can effectively relieve severe depression. The study, conducted at the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine at the University of Technology Sydney, showed a significant drop in depression scores among participants post-treatment. Reported results show the average depression score among the group dropped from 30 pre-treatment, a severe rating, to 15 post-treatment, a mild rating.

“What we’ve managed to show is that acupuncture can be a powerful aid to use alongside anti-depressants to help these people,” said Kirk Wilson, a researcher at the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine at the University of Technology Sydney.

A quick web search has shown that the results of this particular study, even though quite dramatic, are still preliminary. The study is not completed yet.

While the results are preliminary, a separate study, meta-analysis published in the Journal of Affective Disorders supports the effectiveness of acupuncture in reducing the severity of depression. Meta-analysis is a sort of study that is quite a lot higher up on the evidence based medicine hierarchy ladder. The researchers reviewed and summarised results of eight randomised controlled trials. They confirmed that acupuncture significantly reduced the severity of depression, which was indicated by decreased scores of Hamilton rating scale for depression (HAMD) or Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).

Sceptics may argue that the evidence is limited, but it’s undeniable that exploring alternative treatments, like acupuncture, could open doors to help those who aren’t responding well to conventional approaches and to those, who don’t feel right taking psychiatric medications. The path to well-being may be different for each individual, and the integration of ancient wisdom with modern science could be just the remedy you’re seeking. So, if you’re searching for a natural treatment, consider giving acupuncture for depression a go.

Acupuncture five times better for pain after surgery

acupuncture and neck pain after surgery

It is hard to quantify the effect of acupuncture. This is why this study reported by scientists from Cancer Center in New York is so interesting.

After four weeks, 39 percent of neck surgery patients who got acupuncture reported improvements in pain and mobility, compared with only 7 percent in people who got typical care.

This means that a patient after neck surgery and radiotherapy is five and a half times more likely to feel significantly better, than a patient who is receiving regular treatment. Furthermore, the study also showed that other symptoms like xerostomia significantly improved (xerostomia is extreme dry mouth which often occurs in patients who have had radiation treatment for head and neck cancer).

The results of the study were presented at a meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago.