Acupuncture
on its own does not appear
to be an adequate treatment
for depression, research shows.
But the ancient Chinese medical
technique is safe, and may be
helpful to some patients, Dr.
John J. B. Allen of the University
of Arizona in Tucson, the study's
lead author stated.
In two previous studies,
one in young women and one
in pregnant women, Allen and
his team found that acupuncture
specifically targeted to symptoms
of depression was effective.
But in the current study,
in 151 men and women with
major depression, people who
underwent acupuncture at points
that were not specific to
depression treatment actually
fared better than those treated
at depression-specific points.
"Getting acupuncture is certainly
better than waiting, but our
studies didn't provide any
evidence that the specific
points that were needled were
important," Allen said in
an interview.
Allen and his colleagues
randomized study participants
to depression-specific acupuncture,
non-specific acupuncture,
or a waiting period for eight
weeks, after which all study
participants underwent the
depression-specific treatment.
After the initial phase of
treatment, 22 percent of the
patients in the depression-specific
group showed a response, compared
to 39 percent who underwent
the nonspecific treatment
and 17 percent of the patients
given no treatment. By the
end of the study, about half
of the patients had responded
to the treatment.
In a real-world setting,
Allen noted, acupuncture practitioners
tailor their treatment to
the patient, with the approach
changing with every session
based on how the patient responds.
In the current study, while
the initial treatment was
tailored to the patients,
he added, the research protocol
did not allow for adjustments
during the course of treatment.
This may have blunted the
effectiveness of the therapy,
Allen suggests.
"The findings are not strong
enough to recommend acupuncture
as a first-line intervention,"
he said. "But the present
findings in combination with
the other two studies suggest
that acupuncture can be helpful
for some people."
SOURCE: Journal of Clinical
Psychiatry, November 2006.
