Acupuncture for Mental Health
This past year has perhaps been the most chaotic period of our generation. Despite our best efforts, this virus has proven itself to be very, very resilient. In addition to the obvious physical and social toll, COVID has taken a significant toll on the mental health of all Australians. Acupuncture is a natural and effective approach to anxiety and depression in Australia, with emerging evidence that supports its benefits in mental health and relaxation.
Stress! stress! stress!
Australians are stressed! In the six months between March and September 2020, 7.2 million services were subsidised through Medicare. In September, contacts to crisis support had increased by up to 21% compared to 2019.
Although the initial fears from the pandemic have subsided in Australia, the mental health toll remains about the same. Australia is far from COVID safe and constant threat of lockdowns lurks as a source of anxiety and depression.
Before the virus, approximately 14% of Australians experienced anxiety in 2019. By April 2020, this was up to 50% of Australians experiencing anxiety. Similarly, approximately 61% of Australians are estimated to have experienced depression in 2020. Alarmingly, 20-30% of these cases are estimated to be moderate to severe in severity.
What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a treatment used in Traditional Chinese Medicine, that uses fine needles to bring the energies in the body into balance. The use of acupuncture for mental health has been recorded as early as the 6th century in China, and the last two decades have seen increasing interest in the West.
Most of us are scared of needles. We can each relate to that teardrop welling in our eyes each time we go for immunisation or a blood test. This begs the question: Who in their right mind will choose to place multiple needles in their bodies? A recent survey in 2017 indicates close to 10% of Australian women aged 34-39 had consulted an acupuncturist in the last 12 months. Of course, the needles used in acupuncture are not the ones used to take your blood, which are close to a centimetre thick. Most needles used in acupuncture are 0.18-0.25mm, almost not noticeable when they are inserted.
Is acupuncture safe?
Fortunately, this tiny needle is also very safe and free of side effects. An overview of 31 reviews published this year reported that acupuncture for depression caused significantly less adverse events than antidepressants. When there were adverse events, it was mainly mild headache, bruising or skin irritation. Acupuncture generally had lower incidence of adverse events compared to pharmacological interventions, only recording about 0.5 incidents per 10,000 people.
Can acupuncture help me?
If the needles seem less scary now, the next question is: Does acupuncture help? In 2018, an Australian study found that acupuncture improved the burden of depression compared to usual care. Additionally, acupuncture combined with medication had a large benefit over medication alone. These results are further supported by similar findings from other high quality reviews.
How does acupuncture influence my mood?
There are a number of theories on how acupuncture influences mental health. One of the most widely known, is that acupuncture increases the secretion of endorphins, which gives you a ‘positive’ feeling, thereby reducing the ‘negative’ feeling.
Another theory suggests a more direct relationship. Needle stimulation at acupuncture points increases the size and pattern of neural activity in the regions of the brain which are associated with depression. By influencing the part of the brain that ‘feels’ depressed, acupuncture is thought to reduce the feeling of being depressed.
One new theory suggests that acupuncture influences the glutamatic neurotransmission network. The glutamate pathways are the most common pathways in the Central Nervous System, with growing evidence implicating their involvement in various mental health conditions. Numerous animal trials have already confirmed that acupuncture can influence this neural pathway, but future trials are needed to confirm this relationship in humans.
It is expected that acupuncture works in multifaceted ways, as suggested above, to generate a culminated effect of reducing the burden of mental health conditions.
Come give it a try!
Acupuncture is a safe and effective method of managing your mental health concerns, especially for anxiety and depression. You can book in for a free 15 minute consultation to discuss with Cathy how acupuncture can help you.