In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study designed to assess the efficacy of acupuncture as a monotherapy for depression, 38 women were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups and received treatment that lasted 8 weeks:
1. specific acupuncture for depressive symptoms (n = 12),
2. nonspecific acupuncture for general feelings of “disharmony” (n = 11), and
3. wait-list controls (n = 10). Patients and acupuncturists were blinded using valid but different acupuncture points.
All acupuncturists expected that the treatment they provided would be effective for depression.
Symptoms were reduced significantly more in the specific group (P < .05) than in the nonspecific group. However, the difference between specific acupuncture and wait-list groups was marginal (P < .12). These findings might be explained by the small sample size of the study. The remission rate (64%) was comparable to that for conventional treatments of depression.
This study suggests that acupuncture can be an appropriate monotherapy for mild to moderate depression. However, the results of a similar, larger trial (N = 151) failed to support acupuncture as a monotherapy for depression.
In another double-blind, placebo-controlled study, Eich and colleagues19 compared verum and placebo acupuncture applied to patients with minor depression (n = 43) and patients with generalized anxiety disorder (n = 13). Treatment consisted of 10 acupuncture sessions (verum or placebo). The verum acupuncture group (n = 28) showed significant clinical improvement (P < .05) and had a significantly higher response rate (60.7% vs 21.4%; P < .01) of decreased anxiety symptoms in patients with depression and generalized anxiety disorder.
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Related posts:
- Acupuncture and Antidepressants
- Acupuncture and Depression in Pregnancy
- Acupuncture For Menopause-Related Symptoms
- Acupuncture Long-term Effects
- Does Study Design Influence Clinical Outcome?
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