Depression |
A new pilot study by researchers at the University of Arizona confirmed that acupuncture is a promising treatment for major depression in women.
Depression is extremely common in the US and is among the ten most frequently reported medical conditions. About half the people who seek treatment for depression are not helped by psychotherapy and medication or withdraw from treatment too early. Of those who recover, more than one third relapse within eighteen months. This suggests that alternative treatment may be very helpful for people who suffer from depression.
Thirty eight subjects who participated in the study were adult women diagnosed with mild to moderate depression. They were treated with acupuncture according to the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine, each for her own specific pattern of symptoms. They were treated twice per week for one month and once per week for a second month, for a total of twelve sessions. After completion of acupuncture treatment for depression, 70% of women experienced at least a 50% reduction of symptoms, results comparable to the success rate of psychotherapy and medication.
This study is important because it is the first randomized, controlled, double-blinded study of acupuncture’s effectiveness for depression reported in the Western scientific literature. The study design compared the results of treatment for three groups. Specific treatment involved acupuncture treatment for symptoms of depression. Non-specific treatment involved acupuncture for symptoms not clearly related to depression. The third group was wait-listed for eight weeks. Both placebo or control groups then received treatment specific for depression. Patients who received the specific treatment improved more during the eight weeks than patients who received the non-specific treatment. For this small sample size, the comparison between the specific treatment and the wait list condition was not statistically significant. Researchers plan to investigate the benefits of maintenance treatments for depression, acupuncture treatment for more severe chronic depression, specific treatment for non-responders to conventional treatment, and specific treatment for those who cannot tolerate side effects of medications.
The study was funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Alternative Medicine. The results were published in the September 1998 issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the American Psychological Society, as “The Efficacy of Acupuncture in the Treatment of Major Depression in Women.” The authors were John J.B. Allen, Rosa N. Schnyer, and Sabrina K. Hitt.
According to many western medical resources. depression may be the response of the body to an overwhelming and constant stress that seems to the patient to be insurmountable. This stress could be life experiences, food or nutritional deficiencies or excesses, allergies to environmental factors, and numerous other so-called stressors. Regardless of the etiology of the depression, the majority of western MDs diagnose the patient's condition as a depression. The symptomology must be rather significant. Among symptoms falling into the category of a depressive illness, there must be at least five of the following symptoms for a period of at least two weeks. These symptoms are:
Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day
Markedly diminished interest in pleasure in almost all activities most of the day, every day
Significant weight loss or weight gain without dieting, or major changes in appetite or eating habits
Insomnia or hypersomnia nearly everyday
Psychomotor agitation or retardation (anxiety or lack of desire to do any thing)
Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day
Feelings of worthlessness, guilt, desperation, and psychic pain that are ongoing
Inability to think or concentrate; indecisiveness daily
Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide, or a specific plan or attempt of suicide
The symptoms cause significant distress or impair social, occupational, or other important functions. In sever cases, hallucinations and delusions may occur, perhaps as a result of the emotional overload. In any case, once the diagnosis has been made, the treatment method is generally very similar from patient to patient. Usually, anti-depressive medications, of which there are many, are administered, and often it takes up to six weeks for the medications to take effect. In many cases, these medications are a saving grace, but in the case of the suicidal depressive, extra measures must be taken to assure that the patient maintains his or her integrity. The general consensus in the western model is that these treatments be accompanied by psychological counseling in order to rebalance and rebuild the person's inner world. Currently, there is a great deal of research and medical attention regarding depressive illnesses. and a significant branch of western MDs are turning to megavitamin therapies. aminoacid. and nutritional therapies as alternatives to drugs. In the not-so-distant future, it seems the trend is coming back home... to nature and its innate wisdom.
Chinese medicine is perhaps one of the foremost therapeutic avenues that invites nature to assist in the rebalancing of the human organism. Since humankind functions on so many levels, from spiritual, to physical, to emotional, each of these strata need be addressed. The somewhat magical art of Traditional Chinese Medicine works beautifully at uniting body-mind-spirit, so that harmony may again be achieved. This is not to say that TCM is a wonder cure because in some in some cases, it may even be ineffective. in which case there are other options and modalities of treatment, from western medicine to Indian or homeopathic medicine. The point is: other options exist, and should not be ruled out.
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