Acupuncture can be a very effective alternative to treat depression, anxiety, stress-induced emotions, and fatigue during pregnancy, finds a novel study.

Women are generally wary of taking anti-depressants during pregnancy because of the adverse effects it can have on the mother and the developing fetus.

However, when they opt for acupuncture, they experience not only reduction of anxiety and insomnia but a marked improvement in their energy levels and general well-being without any side effects.

According to Dr Deirdre Lyell, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Stanford University School of Medicine, co-author of the study treatment of depression during pregnancy "is critically important so that a woman can maintain her sense of well-being and take good care of herself, her fetus, and someday, her child."

Effects of acupuncture on 150 pregnant women assessed
The researchers conducted a study to assess the effects of acupuncture in women fighting prenatal depression. They enrolled 150 women diagnosed with a major depressive disorder whose pregnancies were between 12 and 30 weeks gestation.

All the volunteers were randomly assigned to receive depression-specific acupuncture (52 women), control acupuncture (49 women), or massage (49 women).

The women underwent the acupuncture therapy for eight weeks and were assessed for depression at four and then eight weeks by a person who was unaware of the treatment each woman was undergoing.

Observations by researchers
The researchers found that 63 percent of the women who received acupuncture treatments felt a significant reduction in their depressive symptoms as opposed to 44 percent of those in the control and massage treatment.

The study indicates that acupuncture alone could be as effective in easing depression symptoms as psychotherapy and drugs.

Though the results are promising, the researchers feel there is need for more research before endorsing acupuncture as a new hope for relief from pre-natal depression.

Lyell stated, "I don't think that one-size-fits-all treatments are appropriate for everyone, but acupuncture should be considered as an option.

"I hope that people will respect the rigorous methodology used in this blinded, randomized, controlled trial and accept the result. Traditional acupuncture was associated with a significant improvement in depression."

The study was funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality and the findings are scheduled to be published in the March issue of the Journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.

A little about acupuncture
Acupuncture originated in China more than 2,000 years ago. It is a simple form of treatment which has no side effects or risk of addiction.

This technique involves insertion of very fine needles, (sometimes in conjunction with electrical stimulus), on the body's surface, in order to influence physiological functioning of the body.

This therapy is known to reduce nausea and vomiting after surgery and chemotherapy. It can also alleviate pain and suffering.

There are different theories to explain how acupuncture works; one is that the needles block the pain impulse as it moves through the central nervous system and prevent it from reaching the brain.

Another is that the needles stimulate the release of endorphins, our bodies' own natural pain killers.