A 'gold standard' clinical trial compared acupuncture with 'sham acupuncture' in patients with sciatica from a herniated disk and found the ancient practice is effective in reducing leg pain and improving measures of disability, with the benefits persisting for at least a year after treatment.

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#Acupuncture #SciaticaRelief #ChronicPain #HerniatedDisc #PainManagement

Acupuncture Seems to Rewire The Brain in Depression, Scans Reveal. When comparing the brain scans of people who had been given acupuncture treatments against those on antidepressants: acupuncture seemed to be rewiring specific brain regions.

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#Acupuncture #DepressionResearch #BrainImaging

🧠 Acupuncture May "Rewire" Brain Regions for Depression
A new study analyzing brain imaging data from 357 participants found that acupuncture treatment led to increased activity in brain regions linked to emotional control and reward processing, distinct from the effects of conventional antidepressants.

🧠 Different Pathways, Similar Goals
While antidepressants showed boosts in areas related to memory and visual processing, acupuncture appeared to target affective circuits involved in emotion regulation. The study suggests acupuncture may offer complementary mechanisms for treatment-resistant depression.

🧠 Promising Results for Symptom Relief
Compared to antidepressants alone, acupuncture was found to be more effective in reducing depression and anxiety scores in study volunteers, though most participants also received antidepressant medication.

#Acupuncture #DepressionResearch #MentalHealth