Acupuncture for Depression and Anxiety

Anxiety and depression are the new age ailments that have literally become part and parcel of our lives. Life for people suffering from depression and anxiety disorders is a burden. Their mind is filled with fear and full of negative thoughts. They are unable to handle stress or concentrate on any assigned work properly due to lack of interest, and some individuals even show suicidal tendencies. However, a ray of hope has emerged for these people in the form of acupuncture, that can help to cope up with mental illnesses effectively.

What is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture that is being practiced for more than 2000 years in China, is a unique way to treat various diseases. This treatment is based on the theory that all living beings have vital energy referred as (chi) that flows uniformly in the body, through energy channels or pathways referred as meridian lines. However, when there is disturbance in the proper flow of chi, it can trigger a number of physical and mental problems. Acupuncture therapy tries to regulate the circulation of chi in the body to get rid of ailments.

This form of treatment makes use of fine needles, instead of medicine to cure the illness. The treatment methodology involves pricking a set of needles at specific locations on the skin. Insertion of fine needles at specific points of the body, helps to normalize the flow of vital energy (chi) and restores the lost energy balance. In other words, puncturing the body with needles stimulates free flow of 'chi' which in turn reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression. Believe it or not, there are over 2000 acupuncture points but those located on the chest, scalp and the wrist are considered acupuncture points for depression.

Acupuncture for Depression and Anxiety
Although there are medications such as antidepressants, available to treat these mental ailments, side effects that can significantly deteriorate mental and physical health, are a cause for concern. Also, prolonged use of these medicines, is certainly not feasible. However, this ancient technique of acupuncture is free from any harmful effects and can be quite effective and is a far better option than prescription medicines.

Acupuncture for Depression: A Randomized Controlled Trial
In order to determine whether acupuncture therapy is effective to treat depression disorders, around 150 patients were divided into 3 groups. One group was given acupuncture therapy that was specifically designed to treat depression disorder. The second group was put on general acupuncture therapy that did not necessarily target the depression symptoms, while the last group did not receive any treatment. After a period of 8 weeks, the first group that experienced acupuncture treatment specific to depression disorder, showed considerable improvement in mental health as compared to those that received non specific acupuncture therapy. This clearly indicates that use of acupuncture therapy without intake of antidepressants, is sufficient to decrease the symptoms of depression.

However, when it comes to treating major depression disorder (MDD), acupuncture is not that effective and hence should be used in conjunction with other conventional treatments such as drugs and psychotherapy. Most importantly, world health organization (WHO) has also given approval to use acupuncture for these mental problems. This is because, studies reveal that acupuncture can relieve the mind from stress, provide a calming effect and thus help to manage depression and anxiety effortlessly.