DEPRESSION during pregnancy can be successfully treated with acupuncture.

Seven out of ten women responded to treatment, say doctors who carried out an eight-week trial comparing acupuncture with massage.

Researchers also found that women who responded to acupuncture and continued with it until ten weeks after giving birth had lower levels of postnatal depression than those who had massage therapy.

'Acupuncture holds promise for the treatment of depression during pregnancy,' says Dr Rachel Manber, who led the research at Stanford University.

It is estimated that between 10 and 12 per cent of pregnant women experience major depression, and the incidence rises to almost 20 per cent shortly after giving birth.

Changes in hormone levels are thought to play a key role in the condition, and one of the problems in treating it is that few drugs can be used during pregnancy because of the possible effect on the unborn child.

In the trial, 61 pregnant women with major depression were given acupuncture or massage therapy. After eight weeks, there was a response rate of 69 per cent among the women having acupuncture, compared to only 32 per cent of those having massage therapy.

ACUPUNCTURE is better than antiinflammatory drugs alone for treating osteoarthritis of the knee, according to research reported in the British Medical Journal. Eighty-eight patients had either acupuncture and an anti-inflammatory drug, or a sham acupuncture treatment plus the drug. The acupuncture group had a greater reduction in pain and stiffness and better quality of life than the other group.

From Healthy.net