A systematic review by university research teams in Australia and China, suggests acupuncture alone or combined with standard care, is associated with significant improvements in perimenopausal depression. A total of 25 randomised controlled trials, involving 2213 women, were examined. The benefits of acupuncture were maintained at 2, 4 and 12 week follow-ups.
The team concludes that in comparison with standard care, acupuncture alone or combined with standard care was associated with significant improvements in depression and reductions of other menopausal symptoms. This finding suggests that acupuncture may be a useful addition to treatment.
(Acupuncture as an Independent or Adjuvant Management to Standard Care for Perimenopausal Depression: A Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 28 May 2021.)
Author: Robin Costello
I offer traditional Chinese acupuncture in Exeter, from a tranquil clinic a mile from the city centre, and next to the University of Exeter. I graduated originally from the London School of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine’s 3 year full time Acupuncture Diploma (DipAc) course. I am on the practitioners register of the British Acupuncture Council (MBAcC), a regulatory and professional body with an entry standard of a full three year undergraduate degree level training.
I have worked in a hospital in south west China, deepening my knowledge and using acupuncture and Chinese massage (tuina) as the treatment of choice in its country of origin. I have taught Chinese medicine in colleges, the NHS and at university level. I also practise Qi Gong, and Chinese dietary therapy, that is the medicinal use of ordinary foods, chosen to help achieve particular therapeutic effects in different individuals.
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