A recently published study raises questions about whether the natural supplement St. John’s wort is actually associated with fewer adverse effects than commonly prescribed SSRIs. Living in the Bay Area it is common for me to run into a strong conviction that any natural supplement is bound to be safer than any manufactured medication. Perhaps the most problematic of these …
Acupuncture Works for Depression
A recent large study showed that accupuncture was helpful for depression when it was added on to usual care (which mostly involved antidepressants). 755 patients being treated in 27 primary-care clinics were randomly referred for accupuncture, humanistic counseling, or neither add-on treatment. The participants typically had moderately severe depression that was chronic (many of them had had depression since childhood). Both …