The benefit from whole body acupuncture in major depression. Correlated change in upper limb function and motor cortex activation after verum and sham acupuncture in patients with chronic stroke. The effect of acupressure with massage on fatigue and depression in patients with end-stage renal disease. [Acupuncture for treatment of depressive neurosis: a multi-center randomized controlled study]. Acupuncture stimulation for motor cortex activities: a 3T fMRI study. Acupuncture: a promising treatment for depression during pregnancy. Clinical research on the therapeutic effect of the electro-acupuncture treatment in patients with depression. An fMRI study of somatosensory-implicated acupuncture points in stable somatosensory stroke patients. Laser Acupuncture for Mild to Moderate Depression in a Primary Care Setting – a Randomised Controlled Trial Acupuncture for depression: a randomized controlled trial.
BACKGROUND In a single-blind placebo-controlled study design we investigated the efficacy of acupuncture additionally applied to drug treatment in major depression . METHODS We r and omly included 70 in patients with a major depressive episode in three different treatment groups : verum acupuncture , placebo acupuncture and a control group . All three groups were pharmacologically treated with the antidepressant mianserin . The verum group received acupuncture at specific points considered effective in the treatment of depression . The placebo group was treated with acupuncture at non-specific locations and the control group received pharmacological treatment plus clinical management . Acupuncture was applied three times a week over a period of 4 weeks . Psychopathology was rated by judges blind to verum/placebo conditions twice a week over 8 weeks . RESULTS Patients who experienced acupuncture  improved slightly more than patients treated with mianserin  alone . CONCLUSIONS Additionally applied acupuncture improved the course of depression more than pharmacological treatment with mianserin alone . However , we could not detect any differences between placebo and verum acupuncture BACKGROUND Acupuncture may improve motor function in patients with chronic hemiparetic stroke , yet the neural mechanisms underlying such an effect are unknown . As part of a sham-controlled , r and omized clinical trial testing the efficacy of a 10-week acupuncture protocol in patients with chronic hemiparetic stroke , we examined the relationship between changes in function of the affected upper limb and brain activation using functional magnetic resonance imaging ( fMRI ) . METHODS Seven ( 7 ) chronic hemiparetic stroke patients underwent fMRI and testing of function of the affected upper limb ( spasticity and range-of-motion ) before and after a 10-week period of verum ( N=4 ) or sham ( N=3 ) acupuncture . The correlation between changes in function of the affected upper limb and brain activation after treatment was tested across patients . RESULTS We found a significant positive correlation between changes in function of the affected upper limb ( spasticity and range of motion ) and activation in a region of the ipsilesional motor cortex . Patients treated with verum acupuncture showed a trend toward a greater maximum activation change in this motor cortical area as compared to those treated with sham acupuncture . CONCLUSIONS Acupuncture may improve function of the affected upper limb in chronic hemiparetic stroke patients by increasing activity in the ipsilesional motor cortex Fatigue and depressive mood are the most significant symptoms experienced by patients with end-stage renal disease . The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of acupressure with massage in fatigue and depression in patients with end-stage renal disease ( ESRD ) receiving hemodialysis treatment . The study applied an experimental pretest and posttest design . Sixty-two hemodialysis patients participated in the study . Data were collected from two hemodialysis clinics in major hospitals in southern Taiwan . Following consent to the study , subjects were r and omly assigned to an acupressure group or a control group . Patients in the acupressure group received acupoint massage for 12 minutes per day , three days per week , for four weeks . Subjects in the control group only received routine unit care . The measures included the Revised Piper Fatigue Scale , and Beck ' s Depression Inventory . Descriptive statistics , chi 2 tests , t-test and analyses of covariance were used for data analysis . The results indicate that subjects experienced a moderate level of fatigue . Nearly 65 % of hemodialysis patients had a depressed mood . ANCOVA results indicated that fatigue ( F((1.54 ) ) = 9.05 , p = .004 ) and depression ( F((1.54 ) ) = 4.20 , p = .045 ) among patients in the acupressure group showed significantly greater improvement than patients in the control group . The findings of this study provide an interventional model for nurses taking care of ESRD patients OBJECTIVE To observe the clinical therapeutic effect of acupuncture on depressive neurosis . METHODS With a multi-center r and omized controlled study , 440 cases were r and omly divided into an acupuncture group , a prozac group , a non-acupoint needling group . In the acupuncture group , Hegu ( LI 4 ) and Taichong ( LR 3 ) were selected , and the Prozac group were treated with administration of 20 mg/d and the non-acupoint needling group were treated with needling the points deviating from the acupoints . The therapeutic effect was evaluated by HAMD score reduction rate , and Asberg 's anti-depressant side-effect rating scale ( SERS ) and severe adverse reaction were used for safety evaluation , and the data were analyzed with ITT . RESULTS The total effective rate was 86 . 4 % in the acupuncture group , which was better than 59.1 % in the non-acupoint needling group and 72.7 % in the prozac group ; HAMD score in the acupuncture group was similar to that in the Prozac group , which was better than that in the non-acupoint needling group ; the SERS scores in the acupuncture group and the non-acupoint needling group were significantly lower than that in the Prozac group , with no severe side-effects found for acupuncture . CONCLUSION Acupuncture is an effective and safe therapy for depressive neurosis ; therapeutic effect of acupuncture on depressive neurosis possibly is better than or similar to that of Prozac , but with less side-effects The acupoint , GB34 , located in the back of the knee , is known to be effective in recovering motor function after a stroke . This study uses a functional magnetic resonance imaging ( fMRI ) study with 3 T scanner to investigate whether or not acupuncture of GB34 produces a significant response of the modulation of somatomotor areas . A fMRI of the whole brain was performed in ten normal healthy subjects during two task stimulations of acupuncture manipulation on GB34 and sham points , inserting and twisting the needle for 25 seconds at a rate of approximately 120 times per minute ; the needle manipulation was paused for a duration of 25 seconds as a control state . The process was repeated four times to have four epochs of stimulation . Bilateral sensorimotor areas ( BA 3 , 4 , 6 and 7 ) showed approximately 6 % of stimulation-related BOLD signal contrast , whereas very few areas were activated when sham stimulation was given . Acupuncture stimulation in GB34 modulates the cortical activities of the somatomotor area in humans . The present findings may shed light on the CNS mechanism of motor function by acupuncture , and form a basis for future investigations of motor modulation circuits in stroke patients BACKGROUND Few medically acceptable treatments for depression during pregnancy are available . The aim of this r and omized controlled pilot study was to determine whether acupuncture holds promise as a treatment for depression during pregnancy . METHODS Sixty-one pregnant women with major depressive disorder and a 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression ( HRSD17 ) score > or=14 were r and omly assigned to one of three treatments , delivered over 8 weeks : an active acupuncture ( SPEC , N=20 ) , an active control acupuncture ( NSPEC , N=21 ) , and massage ( MSSG , N=20 ) . Acupuncture treatments were st and ardized , but individually tailored , and were provided in a double-blind fashion . Responders to acute phase treatment ( HRSD17 score<14 and > or=50 % reduction from baseline ) continued the treatment they were initially r and omized to until 10 weeks postpartum . RESULTS Response rates at the end of the acute phase were statistically significantly higher for SPEC ( 69 % ) than for MSSG ( 32 % ) , with an intermediate NSPEC response rate ( 47 % ) . The SPEC group also exhibited a significantly higher average rate of reduction in BDI scores from baseline to the end of the first month of treatment than the MSSG group . Responders to the acute phase of all treatments combined had significantly lower depression scores at 10 weeks postpartum than nonresponders . LIMITATIONS Generalizability is limited by the small sample and its relative homogeneity . CONCLUSION Acupuncture holds promise for the treatment of depression during pregnancy Electroacupuncture ( EA ) stimulation has been found to influence the brain ( norepinephrine metabolism in experimental animals ) . Preliminary clinical research has shown that EA treatment is as effective as amitriptyline for patients with depression . In this study , two consecutive clinical studies on the treatment of depression with EA are conducted . The first study was double blind placebo controlled , in which 29 depressed in patients were recruited . Patients were r and omly divided into three groups : EA + placebo ; amitriptyline ; and EA + amitriptyline . They received EA and /or amitriptyline treatment for 6 weeks . The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression , Clinical Global Impression and ASBERG scales for the side effect of antidepressants were used to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and side effects . Based on the results and research protocol of the first study , a multi-centered collaborative study was conducted , in which 241 in patients with depression were recruited . Patients were r and omly divided into two treatment groups : the EA + placebo and the amitriptyline groups . The results from both studies showed that the therapeutic efficacy of EA was equal to that of amitriptyline for depressive disorders ( P > 0.05 ) . Electro-acupuncture had a better therapeutic effect for anxiety somatization and cognitive process disturbance of depressed patients than amitriptyline ( P < 0.05 ) . Moreover , the side effects of EA were much less than that of amitriptyline ( P < 0.001 ) . The article suggested that EA treatment was an effective therapeutic method for depressive disorders . Particularly , it was a treatment of choice for depressed patients who were unable to comply with the classic tricyclic antidepressants because of their anticholinergic side effects . The possible mechanism of EA treatment is discussed PURPOSE To assess differences in brain responses between stroke patients and controls to tactile and electrical acupuncture stimulation using functional MRI ( fMRI ) . MATERIAL S AND METHODS A total of 12 male , clinical ly stable stroke patients with left side somatosensory deficits , and 12 age-matched male control subjects were studied .  fMRI was performed with two different paradigms ; namely , tactile stimuli and electrical stimulation at acupuncture points LI4 and LI11 on the affected side of the body . fMRI data were analyzed using SPM99 . RESULTS Tactile stimulation in both patients and controls produced significant activation in primary and secondary sensory and motor cortical areas and cerebellum . Greater activation was present in patients than controls in the somatosensory cortex with both the tactile task and the acupuncture point ( acupoint ) stimulation . Activation was greater during the tactile task than the acupuncture stimulation in patients and normal controls . CONCLUSION Differences observed between patients and controls on both tasks may indicate compensatory over recruitment of neocortical areas involved in somatosensory perception in the stroke patients . The observed differences between patients and controls on the acupoint stimulation task may also indicate that stimulation of acupoints used therapeutically to enhance recovery from stroke , selectively activates areas thought to be involved in mediating recovery from stroke via functional plasticity . fMRI of acupoint stimulation may illustrate the functional substrate of the therapeutically beneficial effect of acupuncture in stroke rehabilitation Objective Depression is a major public health problem . There is some evidence supporting the effectiveness of needle acupuncture in its treatment . Laser stimulation , regarded here as a modality of acupuncture , is non-invasive and therefore free of infection risk ; and it is acceptable to patients with needle phobia . The technique is relatively easily learned by community-based general practitioners . It is also amenable to sham control and therefore double-blinding in clinical trials . A double-blind r and omised controlled trial was conducted to test the efficacy of low level laser acupuncture in mild to moderate depression . Methods Thirty patients with depression were r and omised to receive either active or inactive laser treatment . The laser unit could be switched to one of two setting s. One switch position delivered active laser acupuncture and the other was inactive ( sham ) . In the active mode , 0.5J was delivered to each of six to eight individually tailored acupuncture sites per visit . All patients were treated twice weekly for four weeks then weekly for a further four weeks . The patients and the acupuncturist were both blinded to conditions . Outcome was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory at baseline , weeks four and eight during treatment , and at 4 and 12 weeks following the treatment . Results At the end of the treatment period , Beck Depression Inventory scores fell from baseline by 16.1 points in the intervention group and by 6.8 points in the sham control group ( P<0.001 ) . The difference showed only a trend four weeks later , but was again significant after 12 weeks ( P=0.007 ) . Laser acupuncture was well tolerated with transient fatigue as the most common adverse effect . Conclusion Laser acupuncture may be worth further investigation as a treatment for mild to moderate depression in primary care OBJECTIVE To assess the efficacy of acupuncture as an intervention for major depressive disorder ( MDD ) . METHOD Acupuncture was examined in 151 patients with MDD ( DSM-IV ) who were r and omly assigned to 1 of 3 groups in a double-blind r and omized controlled trial . The specific intervention involved Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)-style acupuncture with manual stimulation for depression ; the control conditions consisted of ( 1 ) a nonspecific intervention using a comparable number of legitimate acupuncture points not specifically targeted to depressive symptoms and ( 2 ) a waitlist condition , which involved waiting without intervention for 8 weeks . After 8 weeks , all patients received the depression-specific acupuncture . Each 8-week intervention regimen consisted of 12 acupuncture sessions delivered in an acupuncturist 's office in the community . The primary outcome measure was the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression . The study was conducted from February 1998 to April 2002 . RESULTS Twenty patients terminated treatment before the completion of the 8-week intervention ( 13 % ) but not differentially by study group . R and om regression models of the intent-to-treat sample revealed that although patients receiving acupuncture improved more than those awaiting intervention , no evidence of differential efficacy of the depression-specific over nonspecific intervention was found . Response rates in acupuncture-treated patients were relatively low after 8 weeks ( 22 % and 39 % for specific and nonspecific intervention groups , respectively ) , with the response rate after the entire 16-week trial reaching 50 % . CONCLUSION Although TCM manual acupuncture is a well-tolerated intervention , results fail to support its efficacy as a monotherapy for MDD . It ca n't be ruled out that factors unique to the implementation of acupuncture in this research study may have limited the efficacy of interventions compared to those provided in naturalistic setting s. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION Clinical Trials.gov identifier NCT00010517
BACKGROUND Although acupuncture has been used as an alternative treatment for depressive disorders , its effectiveness and safety are not well defined .
The purpose of this systematic review with meta- analysis was to evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture as monotherapy and as an additional therapy in treating various depressive conditions , particularly major depressive disorder ( MDD ) and post-stroke depression ( PSD ) .