International Studies Show Acupuncture as
Effective as Drugs for Depression and Anxiety

Two studies, one Chinese and one American, have both shown that patients with mental depression who are treated with acupuncture improve as much as those with a similar diagnosis who take standard psychiatric drugs.

The American study, which was funded by the United States Office of Alternative Health, focused on the treatment of 33 seriously depressed women, who were divided into three groups, each of which was given a different treatment protocol. Of those women who received acupuncture for their depression, over half experienced complete remission.

The Chinese study, published in The Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, was conducted in 1994 by researchers at the Beijing Medical University and the China Academy of Traditional Medicine. In addition to relief from depression, this study demonstrated that those treated by acupuncture also enjoyed significant relief from many of the physical signs associated with anxiety – such as digestive upset, and increases in heart rate and blood pressure. These improvements were considerably greater than those noted in the group taking standard anti-depressant medications.