Affiliation:
1. International Acupuncture and Moxibustion Innovation Institute, School of Acupuncture- Moxibustion and Tunia, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, China
Abstract
:
Major depressive disorder is the most common mental disorder with a significant economic
burden and limited treatments. Acupuncture has emerged as a promising non-pharmacological
treatment for reducing depressive symptoms. However, the potential mechanisms and clinical
effectiveness of acupuncture are not fully understood. The aim of this review was to: (1) summarize the
available evidence on the mechanisms and clinical effectiveness of acupuncture for depression, and
then (2) compare with pharmacological interventions, guiding future studies. Studies with animal
models of depression and patients have shown that acupuncture could increase hippocampal and
network neuroplasticity and decrease brain inflammation, and so has the potential to alleviate
depressive disorders. Overall clinical studies indicated that acupuncture could relieve primary
depression, particularly milder cases, and was helpful in the management of post-stroke depression,
pain-related depression, and postpartum depression both as an isolated and adjunct treatment. It was
emphasized that acupuncture combined with antidepressant pharmacological treatment not only
enhanced the improvement of primary and secondary depressive symptoms but also reduced the side
effects of the medical treatment-the main cause for high dropout rates with drug treatment. In summary,
substantial evidence from animal and human researches supported the beneficial effect of acupuncture
in depression. However, most clinical trials of acupuncture were small, and it is unclear whether their
findings can be generalized; thus, more studies are needed.
Publisher
Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.
Subject
Pharmacology (medical),Psychiatry and Mental health,Clinical Neurology,Neurology,Pharmacology,General Medicine
Cited by
50 articles.
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