Laser Acupuncture for Mild to Moderate Depression in a Primary Care Setting – a Randomised Controlled Trial

Abstract

Objective Depression is a major public health problem. There is some evidence supporting the effectiveness of needle acupuncture in its treatment. Laser stimulation, regarded here as a modality of acupuncture, is non-invasive and therefore free of infection risk; and it is acceptable to patients with needle phobia. The technique is relatively easily learned by community-based general practitioners. It is also amenable to sham control and therefore double-blinding in clinical trials. A double-blind randomised controlled trial was conducted to test the efficacy of low level laser acupuncture in mild to moderate depression. Methods Thirty patients with depression were randomised to receive either active or inactive laser treatment. The laser unit could be switched to one of two settings. One switch position delivered active laser acupuncture and the other was inactive (sham). In the active mode, 0.5J was delivered to each of six to eight individually tailored acupuncture sites per visit. All patients were treated twice weekly for four weeks then weekly for a further four weeks. The patients and the acupuncturist were both blinded to conditions. Outcome was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory at baseline, weeks four and eight during treatment, and at 4 and 12 weeks following the treatment. Results At the end of the treatment period, Beck Depression Inventory scores fell from baseline by 16.1 points in the intervention group and by 6.8 points in the sham control group (P<0.001). The difference showed only a trend four weeks later, but was again significant after 12 weeks (P=0.007). Laser acupuncture was well tolerated with transient fatigue as the most common adverse effect. Conclusion Laser acupuncture may be worth further investigation as a treatment for mild to moderate depression in primary care.

The Brain Effects of Laser Acupuncture in Depressed Individuals: An fMRI Investigation

“…11 We demonstrated that stimulation of acupoints LR 8, LR 14, and CV 14 activated and deactivated many brain regions, including those that are known to be involved in the regulation of mood and which are putative targets in any antidepressant treatment. 18 In particular, these regions were the cingulate gyrus, the parahippocampal gyrus, and the striatum.…”

“…4 All except one were needle acupuncture studies, with one double-blind, controlled study that examined laser acupuncture reporting a highly significant positive effect of the treatment. 11 The Cochrane review concluded that there was insufficient evidence for the use of acupuncture in depression. It is noteworthy that none of the studies reviewed was supported by neuroimaging.…”

The brain effects of laser acupuncture in healthy individuals: an FMRI investigation

“…The laser parameters are similar to the one used in the clinical study we have based our investigation upon [22]. The acupoints were marked with a skin marking pencil prior to entry into the scanning room.…”

“…In practice, acupoint efficacy is not specific, and one acupoint can be used for several different conditions, just as one medical condition can be managed with several acupoint locations. For instance, the antidepressant effect of laser acupuncture [22] has been attributed to a group of acupoints -CV14, LR14, LR8 and HT7 (see fig.1 for anatomical location), however there are other acupoint combinations that are also applicable for the management of depression. The neurological effects of stimulation of these acupoints CV14, LR14, HT7 and LR8 in combination have yet to be investigated.…”

The brain effects of laser acupuncture in depressed individuals: an fMRI investigation

“…Due to an increase in its popularity, there has been a recent diversification of acupuncture research away from the more traditional study of pain 3 into the examination of the role of acupuncture in mental disorders. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] The first foray into the use of acupuncture in the treatment of depression was the investigatory work on electroacupuncture. 6,7 These earlier studies were followed by clinical studies from 1998 when the use of manual needle acupuncture in depression was revisited.…”