Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese form of alternative medicine. The act of acupuncture is placing needles in the skin at the more than 2,000 different points on the body. The purposes of acupuncture can range from pain relief and nausea from chemotherapy to smoking cessation, carpal tunnel syndrome and nearly everything in between. One of the things acupuncture is used for is to treat the symptoms of chronic depression.
Efficacy
Acupuncture is used by some to treat the symptoms of chronic depression. Acupuncture works by stimulating the central nervous system through the needle in the skin. Once the central nervous system has been affected, chemicals are released into the muscles, brain and spinal cord. These chemicals help to promote the body's natural healing system. In homeopathic terms, the needles from an acupuncture treatment stimulate the flow of energy and functionality in the body. It is estimated that acupuncture is now covered by 70 to 80 percent of insurance companies in the United States. Additionally, the United Nations World Health Organization now approves acupuncture as a potential treatment for depression. In a study conducted at the University of Arizona it was found that acupuncture needles placed at certain points specific to depression were successful in reducing the symptoms of depression by 43 percent. Psychologists and acupuncturists both deduced from this study that using acupuncture for the treatment of depression can be effective and produce similar results to treatment using drugs and psychotherapy. There is another way in which acupuncture might be successful in treating the symptoms of depression. According to the Psychiatric Times there is data that might confirm that acupuncture for the treatment of depression might also stimulate the release of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine, which are three of the substances found in anti-depression medications. Anti-depressants as well as acupuncture are an acceptable treatment plan for chronic depression. The adverse affects might be itching in the area of the acupuncture and tiredness and drowsiness.
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