Acupuncture Research
MENOPAUSE
Acupuncture helps manage menopause symptoms
A multicenter, randomized, controlled study of 175 patients found that acupuncture plus usual care significantly improved hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms when compared to the usual care alone. The control group received usual care while the comparator group was treated with 12 sessions of acupuncture and maintained usual care for 4 weeks. Read more…
DEPRESSION
Acupuncture plus low-dose fluoxetine (Prozac®) is as effective in treating depression as the full, recommended dose
A recent randomized, double-blind study of 80 patients with major depressive disorder compared the use of a recommended dose of fluoxetine (20-30 mg/day, Prozac®) with sham acupuncture to a low dose fluoxetine (10 mg/day) with acupuncture. The patients received acupuncture 5 times/week for 6 weeks. The study found that acupuncture with low dose fluoxetine was as effective as the full dose of fluoxetine alone. The authors concluded that, “Depressive patients with severe anxious symptoms and/or intolerable side-effects of antidepressants can benefit from it.” Read more…
IMMUNE SYSTEM & CANCER CARE
Dana-Farber study: Acupuncture improves immune function in patients undergoing chemotherapy
A recent study by the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute suggests that acupuncture may improve the immune function of patients undergoing chemotherapy. This was a pilot randomized, sham controlled study looking at the effects of acupuncture on the immune system in 21 ovarian cancer patients who were undergoing chemotherapy. The patients were treated 2-3 times per week for 10 treatments starting 1 week before the second cycle of chemotherapy. The authors observed clinically relevant improvement in white blood cell count, a major indicator of immune function. Read more…