Can acupuncture treat depression? Yes, but not always. Sometimes, it works best in combination with medication and talk therapy or with just one of these two. Sometimes acupuncture alone is enough to counter the unique rhythm of a depression. My point here is that depression is like any other disease—it requires the attention from not only complementary care providers like myself, but from primary care providers like a medical doctor or psychiatrist.
Therese J. Borchard is the author of the books Beyond Blue and The Pocket Therapist in which she writes about mental illness based on her very personal experience in a practical, intelligent and eloquent way. On June 11, 2010 her daily blog included her vision of how those with depression, bipolar disorder, and any other mental challenge will be treated and viewed in the future. One part particularly stuck out for me and I could not agree more. She said, “I have a dream that… new-age thinkers who blame all illness on blocked energy (in chakras one through seven) might be enlightened to understand that fish oil, mindfulness meditation, and acupuncture can’t cure everything.” To read the whole ‘dream’, go to http://blog.beliefnet.com/beyondblue/2010/06/on-mlk-day-i-too-have-a-dream.html
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