AsianScientist (Oct. 25, 2013) – Acupuncture or counseling, together with usual care, could benefit patients with depression, according to researchers at the University of York in the UK.
The research team led by Dr. Hugh MacPherson found that in a primary care setting, combining acupuncture (a traditional therapy originated from China) or counseling with usual care had some benefits after three months for patients with recurring depression.
Many patients with depression are interested in receiving non-drug therapies; however, there is limited evidence to support the use of acupuncture or counseling for depression in a primary care setting. In this randomized controlled trial conducted in the north of England, the research team randomized patients with depression to receive 12 weekly sessions of acupuncture with usual care, counseling with usual care and last, usual care alone.
Compared with usual care alone, there was a significant reduction in average depression scores at three months for both the acupuncture and counseling interventions, but there was no significant difference in depression scores between the acupuncture and counseling groups. At nine months and 12 months, because of improvements in the depression scores in the usual care group, acupuncture and counseling were no longer better than usual care.
“Although these findings are encouraging, our study does not identify which aspects of acupuncture and counseling are likely to be most beneficial to patients, nor does it provide information about the effectiveness of acupuncture or counseling, compared with usual care, for patients with mild depression,” said Dr. MacPherson.
“To our knowledge, our study is the first to rigorously evaluate the clinical and economic impact of acupuncture and counseling for patients in primary care who are representative of those who continue to experience depression in primary care,” he said.
The article can be found at: MacPherson H et al. (2013) Acupuncture And Counselling For Depression In Primary Care: A Randomised Controlled Trial.
——
Source: University of York; Photo: marniejoyce/Flickr/CC.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.
