DEPRESSION

TREATMENT

Understanding Acupuncture for

Depression
By
Arlin Cuncic
Updated on May 23, 2022

Medically reviewed
by
Steven Gans, MD

Verywell / Madelyn Goodnight

Table of Contents

Principles of Acupuncture

Acupuncture in Practice

Possible Side Effects

Research

Is Acupuncture for Me?

Acupuncture as a treatment for depression has increasingly become the

subject of research, but there's little consensus about its effectiveness.
This is largely because this treatment is difficult to investigate
empirically, so most existing research is of low quality. Nevertheless,
acupuncture for depression continues to grow in popularity, so it deserves
attention—especially for those in whom other methods have failed.

What Is Acupuncture?
 Acupuncture is a technique based on traditional Chinese medicine
that uses the insertion of fine needles to unblock channels of energy
(also known as Qi ) that are thought to reside within the body.

Principles of Acupuncture
According to the philosophy behind acupuncture, emotions are
represented by five elements:

Fear (Water)
Anger (Wood)
Happiness (Fire)
Worry (Earth)
Grief (Metal)

Chinese medicine regards the mind and body as interacting together:

What you feel in your mind can have a physical impact on your body. Each
organ—thought of as either "yin" or "yang"— is thought to correspond
to a certain emotion. For example, the liver is thought to correspond to
anger. In this line of thought, feeling anger can cause trouble for your
liver. Likewise, a blocked flow to your liver could result in you feeling
angry.

To alleviate this kind of energy congestion, acupuncture clears the

meridians in your body to allow Qi to move about freely. This is
accomplished by inserting fine needles into certain points of your body
that correspond to the meridians and connect to your organs.

Related:
How Emotions and Organs Are Connected in Traditional Chinese
Medicine

How Acupuncture for Depression Is Practiced

The acupuncturist inserts needles into points on your body that connect to
your negative emotions. The needles are thought to fix blocked energy or
imbalances in your body, which also influence your mind.

Chinese medicine regards the mind and body as interacting together:

What you feel in your mind can have a physical impact on your body.

Points an acupuncturist might use to relieve depression symptoms

include:

Guanyuan (CV4): lower back

Qihai (CV6): below the navel
Zhongwan (CV12): over the middle of the stomach
Hegu (L14): on the hand
Master of Heart 6 (MH6): underside of wrist
Yanglingquan (GB34): on the leg
Zusanli (ST36): below the knee
Taixi (K13): on the ankle
Shugu (BL65):

After your acupuncturist has inserted needles, you lie still on a table in a
peaceful setting, such as with ambient music, aromatherapy, and mood
lighting. You might receive this treatment once or several times a week,
depending on your situation.

It's not hard to imagine that this might help you feel better, regardless of
whether acupuncture actually treats depression. In fact, the state you're in
after receiving acupuncture has been referred to as "acubliss."

Possible Side Effects of Acupuncture

Although side effects are rare, they do happen. Using a certified
professional for acupuncture reduces the risk of side effects.

Mild Side Effects

The following side effects may be seen at the site where the needles were
inserted:

Itchiness
Allergic reaction
Feeling sore
Bleeding or bruising

Serious Side Effects (Rare)

The following side effects are rare but possible:

Nerve damage
Infection
Dizziness or fainting

Research on Acupuncture for Depression

While numerous studies have attempted to determine acupuncture's
effectiveness for depression, the quality of some of this research is in
question. This is because setting up a proper study free of bias is quite
difficult.

Potential Sources of Study Bias

Below are some of the potential sources of bias and why they may be a
problem for acupuncture in particular.

Difficulty creating an adequate control condition (i.e., it's hard to fake

acupuncture)
Difficulty blinding patients and practitioners (i.e., the acupuncturist will
know if they are doing the treatment or not)
Cultural bias (i.e., studies in the East are more likely to show positive
findings than studies in the West)
Acupuncture's strong placebo effect (so any real smaller effect may be
hard to detect)

A solid research study on acupuncture for depression should:

Include an adequate control group

Account for the placebo effect
Take into account blinding
Replicate results across different locations

Acupuncture for Depression Research: A Review

In one large review that included 64 studies and 7,104 participants, most
studies were at risk for various kinds of bias (e.g., detection bias, selection
bias, reporting bias, etc.)

However, low-quality evidence suggests that acupuncture could reduce

the severity of depression compared to no treatment, waitlist, or
treatment as usual.

When compared with sham acupuncture, there was a small reduction

in the severity of depression. This suggests that acupuncture may
have more of an effect than a placebo for depression.

Compared to medication, there was low-quality evidence of a small

benefit, which varied by type of medication and mode of acupuncture
(regular vs. electro).

Finally, when compared with psychological therapy, the results were

unclear. No conclusions could be drawn about evidence of an effect beyond
that observed for psychological therapy for depression.

In addition, few of the studies conducted follow-ups or studied other

variables such as quality of life, which are important in depression
research [1].

Western Research on Acupuncture and Stress

Meanwhile, there does seem to be evidence of acupuncture's effectiveness
in blocking stress hormones and the stress response. This may be because
the needles activate endorphins, the brain's natural painkillers. [2]

What Is Depression?
 Depression is an illness characterized by a persistently depressed
mood or loss of interest or pleasure accompanied by other symptoms
such as weight/appetite changes, concentration problems, too
much/too little sleep, hopelessness, fatigue, negative thoughts, and
suicidal ideation. Brain chemistry, hormones, genetics, life
experiences, and physical health can all play a role.

Is Acupuncture for Depression Right for Me?

If you're still not sure whether acupuncture for depression is right for you,
consider the following:

Can you afford it? Will your health insurance cover it?
Do you have time to attend sessions on a regular basis?
Are you open to the experience and willing to accept potential side effects?
Is there a certified professional nearby? If you aren't sure where to look,
ask for a referral from your doctor or a certifying agency such as the
National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
(NCCAOM).
Have you exhausted other traditional avenues of treatment for depression,
or are you looking for a complement to other treatments?
Have you spoken to your doctor about your desire to receive acupuncture?

If you or a loved one are struggling with depression, contact the

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 for information on
support and treatment facilities in your area.

For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline

Database.

A Word From Verywell

Acupuncture for depression is an alternative therapy that has received
only modest research support. This healing therapy based on ancient
Chinese medicine appears to show a small benefit for those with
depression. If you are considering receiving this treatment, be sure that
you contact a registered professional with proper training.

Read Next:
The 7 Best Online Help Resources for Depression

2 Sources

By Arlin Cuncic

Arlin Cuncic, MA, is the author of "Therapy in Focus: What to Expect

from CBT for Social Anxiety Disorder" and "7 Weeks to Reduce
Anxiety."
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