Tag Archive for: depression

Acupuncture chemotherapy

Acupuncture improves quality of life of patients exhausted by chemotherapy

The Gentle Touch: Acupuncture, Acupressure, and the Battle Against Cancer-Related Fatigue

A cancer diagnosis is a life-changing event that often leaves people feeling physically and emotionally exhausted. And the fatigue experienced by many patients during and after chemotherapy is a particularly troublesome symptom to manage. It can disrupt daily activities and diminish overall quality of life. It is essential to be aware of the potential benefits of complementary therapies, such as acupuncture and acupressure, in helping to alleviate this burdensome fatigue.

People exhausted by chemotherapy felt better and had the energy to walk to the shops and to socialise, so their quality of life improved significantly after six sessions of acupuncture in a study conducted by Alex Molassiotis, professor of cancer and supportive care at the University of Manchester.

In this randomised placebo-controlled trial, the chemotherapy patients were randomly assigned to one of three groups to receive either acupuncture, acupressure or sham acupressure.

The acupuncture group received six 20 minute sessions spread over three weeks. Patients in the acupressure group were taught to massage the same acupuncture points. And the sham acupressure patients were taught the same massage technique, but were told to massage points not associated with energy and fatigue.

The results were both surprising and encouraging. After the two-week intervention, participants in the acupuncture group saw a 36% improvement in their fatigue levels, while the acupressure group improved by 19%. In contrast, the sham acupressure group saw a meagre 0.6% improvement. Even two weeks after the intervention, improvements were still evident, albeit at reduced levels (22%, 15%, and 7%, respectively).

These findings suggest that acupuncture, in particular, holds considerable promise in the management of cancer-related fatigue. As a non-invasive, holistic approach, it has the potential to offer relief without the added burden of medication management or side effects. Acupressure, though less effective than acupuncture, still showed promise as a self-administered therapy for those who might be needle-averse.

Take charge of your well-being and explore the world of Chinese medicine. In the fight against cancer-related fatigue, the gentle touch of acupuncture and acupressure might just provide the relief you or a loved one so desperately need.

Reference: Complementary Therapies in Medicine

He beat deperession with acupuncture after 4 years of antidepressants
“Before seeing Vitalis, I was on antidepressants for four years” Tim Lovegrove

Before seeing Vitalis, I was on antidepressants for four years. These drugs have made my life very unenjoyable. I was reading up on the Internet on the alternative ways to treat depression, and decided to give acupuncture a go.

Since I started seeing Vitalis, my quality of life has improved and my moods have lifted a lot from where they were when I was on antidepressants. I have been able to concentrate better at sport and my work habits are now considerably better.

The treatment with Vitalis has been great to lift my moods and to increase the quality of life without having to suffer from the side effects of antidepressants.

I would recommend Vitalis to anyone suffering from any strength of depression and to any sports person in need of a mental advantage.

Tim Lovegrove
Electrician, 20 years old

Acupuncture for pregnancy depression

In a study carried out at Stanford University, 61 pregnant women with major depressive disorder were randomly assigned to receive one of three treatments:

(i). Individually tailored true acupuncture designed to treat their depression,
(ii). True acupuncture, but with points not chosen to treat the depression, and
(iii). Massage treatment (included to provide control for attention, physical contact, relaxation and respite from daily stress).

Acute phase treatment was given for twelve sessions over eight weeks, with continued treatment throughout pregnancy for those who responded.

As far as possible the acupuncture treatment was double-blinded, with the treatment to be given by a treating acupuncturist determined by a different (assessing) acupuncturist. The assessment, treatment design, needle insertion, and needle stimulation were all standardised. Response rates at the end of the acute
phase were:

  • 68.8% in the depression specific acupuncture,
  • 47.4% in the non depression-specific acupuncture,
  • 31.6% in the massage group.

The study also showed that successful treatment of depression during pregnancy offers protection from postpartum depression.