I have a strong interest in Mental Health.  In 2017 I became a founding member of Wellington’s Acupuncture for Mental Health (AMH).  In January 2020, I graduated as a Neuropuncturist. Neuropuncture is a unique acupuncture system that incorporates research on the neurophysiological mechanisms of acupuncture and combines it with research on electrical acupuncture’s effects on specific neural receptors. I believe that both regular acupuncture and electro-acupuncture can offer much to people suffering from stress, nervousness, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

How Does Acupuncture Work For Mental Health Issues?

Acupuncture and Depression

‘Can Acupuncture Treat Depression?’ Scientific American published an article that showed acupuncture was as effective as antidepressants and may help treat the medications’ side effects.

Acupuncture is equal to counseling in effectively reducing depression when compared to usual care alone. In a large randomized controlled trial involving 755 people, researchers investigated the clinical effectiveness of 2 interventions, acupuncture or counseling, in treating patients with depression, and compared these 2 groups to usual care (antidepressants) in primary care in northern England. Compared to usual care, there was a statistically significant reduction in depression at 3 months and at 12 months for both interventions. Differences between acupuncture and counseling were not significant.

Women’s experiences of having depression during pregnancy and receiving acupuncture treatment. The women in this high-quality study reported gaining benefits from acupuncture that they felt enabled them to better manage their lives and the changes that pregnancy brings.

Dense cranial electroacupuncture stimulation for major depressive disorder is a safe and effective intervention that augments the antidepressant efficacy. It can be considered as an additional therapy in the early phase of SSRI treatment of depressed patients. The patients received 9 sessions (3 sessions per week).

‘There is high-level evidence to support the use of acupuncture for treating major depressive disorder in pregnancy,’  concluded the authors in this American study reviewing the evidence on treating pregnant women, who, unable to use pharmaceuticals to treat anxiety and depression, were given acupuncture.

Acupuncture and Post-traumatic stress disorder

Acupuncture and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The research divided people with PTSD into 3 groups.  Acupuncture, cognitive behavioral therapy ( CBT ), and being waitlisted for treatment.  Acupuncture was equal to cognitive behavior therapy and better than not being treated, even 3 months after treatment had stopped. There was no change in the waitlist for the treatment group. Acupuncture is an effective treatment for PTSD.

Both electro-acupuncture and medication therapy may improve the symptoms of PTSD patients; the former is better than the latter in efficacy. was the conclusion of this randomised controlled trial. The population studied was 512 earthquake-caused PTSD patients.

Patient Google reviews for City Acupuncture  and PTSD include:

Danny L., I’ve seen Janine numerous times over the years for sexual abuse & other related PTSD, depression, and anxiety, and have always benefited from her treatments, which have helped to stabilise me in periods of acute stress and unease. She is exceptionally thorough in her assessments before treatment, asking probing questions calmly and compassionately. Her attention to detail is meticulous, and these qualities have always been outstanding features of her practice and her professionalism. She is clearly an expert in her field, and I have recommended her to many people. Janine is by far my preferred specialist in the developing science of acupuncture and mental health.

Nona P., Janine Nana is a gifted acupuncturist. My Functional Medicine doctor suggested I have Neuropuncture to stimulate my vagus nerve to help with trauma/Complex PTSD, but I hadn’t realized how fantastic I would feel after each session. To my surprise, the results last for the better part of a week. I am functioning better and sleeping better than I have in years. My Neuropuncture session is my very favourite part of the week.

Acupuncture for Stress and Anxiety

Acupuncture Can Reduce Anxiety Even When Medication and Cognitive Behavior Therapy Fail. This study, published in the British Medical Journal, stated “acupuncture is a promising intervention for patients with chronic anxiety symptoms that have proven resistant to other forms of treatment”. The positive effects were maintained even after their post-treatment check 10 weeks later.

The Effectiveness of Acupuncture Therapy on Stress in a Large Urban College Population. In this study, acupuncture was shown to be successful in decreasing the perception of stress in students and staff at a large urban university, and this effect persisted for at least 3 months after the completion of treatment.