How Does Acupuncture Treat Depression?

Depression is an illness that affects a large number of people.  Severe depression has been the reason too many people have committed suicide.  It is a serious condition that attacks the mental state of an individual.  It is also an emotional illness with symptoms that may not be readily apparent to people around the person who has depression.  To help alleviate the symptoms of depression which include tiredness, mood swings, pessimistic thoughts, lack of interest in life or activities, fluttering ideas and other symptoms, various treatments are available.

Treatments for depression include drug therapy, where drugs such as anti-depressants are prescribed by a physician or psychiatrist.  Anti-depressants can have significant side effects and a doctor may have to suggest alternative treatments.  One such alternative depression treatment is acupuncture.  Acupuncture focuses on the internal imbalance the body of a depression sufferer experiences.  Prescribed drug therapy for depression such as anti-depressants act by suppressing the extraction of certain chemicals or a hormone known as serotonin.   Acupuncture seeks to balance out the chemicals the body needs to function properly and uses small needles to poke or pierce certain points on the body.  Although this sounds quite extreme, it is not usually uncomfortable or painful.

Acupuncture tackles the root cause of the depression symptoms and people can experience relief from depression after a few visits to an acupuncture specialist.  Some people can also experience significant improvement after only one acupuncture treatment session.  Acupuncture has Chinese origins and is becoming more popular around the world.  Training centres for acupuncture may be found locally.  However, those who want to be trained in the technique may also seek education in foreign countries or locations.

In addition to effectiveness in handle depression symptoms, acupuncture is relatively cheap and leaves the patient feeling better.  There is no dependence on depression drugs and there are no withdrawal symptoms to worry about.  Drug therapy such as prescribed anti-depressants can also have a delayed action period and treatment effects may not be noticeable or felt immediately.  However, acupuncture relief for depression has been known to be much more immediate and long-lasting.

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This entry was posted on Friday, February 11th, 2011 at 11:45 am and is filed under Depression. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

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