PTSD & Acupuncture

Acupuncture effectively treats posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Researchers conducting a randomized controlled study of active duty US military service personnel concludes that acupuncture significantly improves patient outcomes for PTSD patients. Acupuncture also induced secondary improvements: reduced depression and pain, improved mental and physical health functioning.

The researchers note that there is underutilization of mental healthcare for PTSD patients. The research team notes that US military personnel have a 17% PTSD rate after combat deployment. However, research confirms that war veterans are reticent towards receiving medical care for PTSD.

The researchers note several examples of underutilization. An examination of Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans with PTSD, anxiety disorder or clinical depression finds that 81% acknowledge that they have mental health disorders. However, only 41% “reported interest in receiving help.” Only 30% sought professional help and 14% saw a mental health specialist. In addition, 25% of service members felt that mental healthcare does not work, 28% felt mental healthcare providers were untrustworthy and 41% felt that mental health treatment “would be embarrassing.”

A study of the general population reveals that only 7% of individuals with PTSD had initial contact with primary care treatment within the first year of illness. A national study reports that 59% of men and 26% of women “believed that PTSD treatment would not help.” The researchers note that acupuncture is “a safe, potentially nonstigmatizing treatment that reduces symptoms of anxiety, depression, and chronic pain….” They add that the underutilization of mental healthcare workers “suggests(s) that a novel and effective treatment option may help increase the proportion of those with PTSD who seek early treatment.” They note, “Acupuncture is a novel and therapeutic option that may help to improve population reach of PTSD treatment.”

The study concludes, “Acupuncture was effective for reducing PTSD symptoms.” The researchers determined that a brief course of acupuncture care “is an effective treatment adjunct for PTSD….” Patients using acupuncture combined with usual care “showed significantly greater improvements” over patients receiving usual care only. The researchers document, “The benefits associated with acupuncture were wide ranging and robust, yielding improvements in PTSD, depression, and pain severity of sufficient magnitude to benefit global mental and physical health functioning.”

The main goal of the study was to evaluate a short course of acupuncture care for military related PTSD. Patients in the study were active duty military members that were primarily recruited from clinics at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Other active duty patients included those from referrals. The study design was 8 acupuncture treatments over a 4 week period. Acupuncture in combination with usual care was compared with patients receiving usual care only without acupuncture. A 12 week follow-up documented significantly greater clinical improvements in the patients receiving the acupuncture combination therapy.

References:
Engel, Charles C., Elizabeth H. Cordova, David M. Benedek, Xian Liu, Kristie L. Gore, Christine Goertz, Michael C. Freed, Cindy Crawford, Wayne B. Jonas, and Robert J. Ursano. "Randomized Effectiveness Trial of a Brief Course of Acupuncture for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder." Medical care 52 (2014): S57-S64.
Author Affiliations:
Deployment Health Clinical Center, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS).
Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland.
Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research, Davenport, Iowa.
Samueli Institute, Alexandria, Virginia.

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative MedicineVolume 2012 (2012), Article ID 431279, 7 pages. doi:10.1155/2012/431279. Clinical Studies on Treatment of Earthquake-Caused Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Using Electroacupuncture. Yu Wang, You-ping Hu, Wen-chun Wang, Ri-zhao Pang, and An-ren Zhang.
Author Affiliations:
Department of Rehabilitation, Chengdu Military General Hospital, No.270, Road Rongdu, Jinniu District, Chengdu, China.
Acupuncture and Tuina College, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China.