Is Acupuncture as effective as Antidepressants?

Researchers asking is acupuncture as effective as antidepressants, have carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis of the pooled results of nine small randomised controlled trials. They stated that the evidence is inconclusive but efforts are being made to standardize complementary approaches to treat depression, and further systematized research is warranted.

(A Systematic Review of Randomised Controlled Trials of Acupuncture in the Treatment of Depression. Journal of Affective Disorders, January 2007.)

Author: Robin Costello

I offer traditional Chinese acupuncture in Exeter, from a tranquil clinic a mile from the city centre, and next to the University of Exeter. I graduated originally from the London School of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine’s 3 year full time Acupuncture Diploma (DipAc) course. I am on the practitioners register of the British Acupuncture Council (MBAcC), a regulatory and professional body with an entry standard of a full three year undergraduate degree level training. I have worked in a hospital in south west China, deepening my knowledge and using acupuncture and Chinese massage (tuina) as the treatment of choice in its country of origin. I have taught Chinese medicine in colleges, the NHS and at university level. I also practise Qi Gong, and Chinese dietary therapy, that is the medicinal use of ordinary foods, chosen to help achieve particular therapeutic effects in different individuals.