Acupuncture as a complementary medicine for depression caused by the confinement by COVID-19

Abstract

According to the WHO (World Health Organization), depression is a common disease throughout the world, and it is estimated that it affects approximately 350 million people. The COVID-19 pandemic has and will continue to have important consequences for mental health, which can cause a depressive state, with stress, anxiety, fear and grief that affect the entire population (with a higher prevalence and incidence in women), that are increased by confinements and social isolation. This study proposes the use of acupuncture as a therapeutic or complementary option to psychotherapies or pharmacotherapies, since here is showed that acupuncture is effective, safe and cheaper than the main treatments, to be able to treat people with some level of depression and to attend to and reduce the consequences that COVID-19, which acupuncture could be a complementary medicine that can help the health systems of countries.

The role of acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment, prevention, and rehabilitation of patients with COVID-19: A scoping review

“…Some reviews 11 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 79 analyzed the feasibility of acupuncture for COVID-19 from the following perspectives: (1) the characteristics of acupuncture. Acupuncture is cheap and simple to perform, which is beneficial for enhancing immunity in susceptible groups, as acupuncture can be performed at home during the epidemic.…”

“…Acupuncture has good efficacy in reducing fever, relieving cough and phlegm, alleviating digestive symptoms, promoting lung function, and improve the emotions. 74 , 75 , 78 , 79 …”