La acupuntura en la depresión (relación Corazón-Cerebro)

Objective

Evaluate the most used acupuncture points in the treatment of depression by the Argentine Acupuncture Society (SAA) and in the current bibliography.

Justify the use of the heart meridian (C-7 Shenmen point) for the treatment of depression.

Methods

Retrospective observational study of the most used points by the SAA for heart disharmonies between October 2015 and December 2017 and comparing them with 9 randomised controlled studies of the “Acupuncture for depression” Review. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

Results

An evaluation was made of 118 clinical histories from the outpatient department of the SAA were evaluated. They included 47 patients with Heart Disharmony Patterns, 33 patients with biomedical diagnoses of depression, anxiety, or insomnia. Points used: C-7 Shenmen (75%), DU20 Baihui (70%), V15 Xinshu (61%), PC6 Neiguan (45%).

Compared to the 9 randomised controlled studies of “Acupuncture for depression”, the selection criterion was the use of distance points. Points used: DU20 Baihui, C7 Shenmen, PC6 Neiguan, H3 Taichong, R3 Taixi, V62 Shenmai, E36 Zhusanli, B6 Sanyinjiao, and IG4 Hegu

In both populations, the most commonly used distal point was the C7-Shenmen, the meridian point of the heart, showing the heart-brain interaction. Studies with functional Magnetic Resonance demonstrated brain modulation at the level of functional neural networks in the case of depression, with C7 Shenmen.

Conclusions

There was a high level of agreement between the points used by the SAA and the current bibliography: DU20-Baihui, C7-Shenmen, and PC6-Neiguan

The relationship between the brain-heart and the concept of “interoception” and “Embodied cognition” explain the modulation of the C7-Shenmen point at the level of neural networks in the case of depression.