Acupuncture and Chinese herbs as treatments for depression: an Australian pilot study.
OBJECTIVE
Aims were to determine the effectiveness of acupuncture and Chinese herbs as treatments for depression, and to assess beliefs, attitudes and treatment experience.


METHODS
Participants received acupuncture or acupuncture and Chinese herbs combined for five weeks. Acupuncture was given for 30 min twice a week and herbs taken three times a day. A Beliefs and Attitudes questionnaire was administered at baseline and Treatment Experience questionnaire post treatment. Outcome measure was improvement in depressive symptoms at the end of treatment period.


RESULTS
Nineteen participants completed 5 weeks of treatment, 12 in the acupuncture group and 7 in the combined group. Treatment significantly improved depressive symptoms, however, there were no differences between groups. At baseline, participants were positive about the perceived effectiveness of treatment, and treatment experiences were positive.


CONCLUSIONS
Acupuncture was effective in reducing depressive symptoms. However, herbs did not have an additional treatment effect. Beliefs and attitudes were positive.
School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley WA 6009, Australia. zaza.lyons@uwa.edu.au
Zaza
Z
Lyons
Gillian
G
van der Watt
Zhiwei
Z
Shen
Aleksandar
A
Janca
D015670:Acupuncture Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001315:Australia; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000628:therapy*; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal