Acupuncture for Anxiety, Depression & PMS

New research has just been released demonstrating that acupuncture is effective for the treatment of PMS, anxiety and depression. Researchers from the Harvard Medical School (Boston, Massachusetts) and the Advanced Integrative Rehabilitation and Pain Center (Washington, DC) conclude that “there is high-level evidence to support the use of acupuncture for treating major depressive disorder in pregnancy.” In an additional study, researchers from the School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina (Beijing University of Chinese Medicine) conclude that acupuncture shows effectiveness in treating PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome).

In the first study, the researchers note that both anxiety and depression are highly prevalent in society. The researchers note that both anxiety and depression are “difficult to treat and have high relapse rates and medication side-effects. There is evidence to suggest that acupuncture may be an effective treatment modality.” The conclusions were drawn based on randomized controlled trials. The meta-analysis filtered for quality research and included several trials that were double-blinded. All studies showed that the benefits of acupuncture for anxiety and depression were significant. Read More