A study published by the British Medical Journal shows that acupuncture outperforms counselling and usual care, in patients who have depression complicated by pain. This follows from a secondary analysis of the study data arising out of the research detailed on 21 January 2014 below.
A total of 755 patients recruited through GP practices across northern England, were randomised to receive acupuncture (302 patients), counselling (302 patients) or usual care alone (151 patients). Patients’ assessment of their pain and general wellbeing revealed that those with moderate to extreme pain were doing better after three months if they received acupuncture compared with those who received either counselling or usual care.
(Acupuncture, counselling or usual care for depression and comorbid pain: secondary analysis of a randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open, May 2014.)
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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