Depression, as an emotional disorder, has the characteristics of high incidence, low cure rate, and easy recurrence. In Western medicine, a single drug therapy has limitations such as drug dependence, large side effects, and slow onset. Clinical research on the combination of acupuncture and medicine in the treatment of depression has been conducted for many years, and it has certain advantages in improving clinical comprehensive efficacy. At present, the commonly used methods for treating depression in clinical practice include "acupuncture combined with traditional Chinese medicine", "acupuncture combined with Western medicine", "acupoint injection" , and "Acupoint application". The combination of acupuncture and medicine therapy is an organic combination of acupuncture therapy and drug therapy, leveraging the strengths of each family to improve efficacy, shorten disease course, and reduce adverse drug reactions. It has good clinical application prospects. This article reviews the clinical research on the combination of acupuncture and medicine in the treatment of depression in recent years, in order to provide reference for the clinical treatment of depression.

Cui Kai, Zheng Jie. Clinical Research Progress on the Combination of Acupuncture and Medicine in the Treatment of Depression. Academic Journal of Medicine & Health Sciences (2023) Vol. 4, Issue 11: 75-81. https://doi.org/10.25236/AJMHS.2023.041111.

[1] Chinese Society of Behavioral Medicine, Ognitive Coping Therapy Group, Chinese Society of Behavioral Medicine, Wang Changhong, Ji Jianlin. Expert recommendations on the treatment and management of major depressive disorder (2022) [J]. Chinese Journal of Behavioral Medicine and Brain Science, 2023, 32 (3): 193-202. 

[2] Yi Ren, Chenjun Zhu, Jianjun Wu, et al. Comparison between herbal medicine and fluoxetine for depression: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials [J]. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 2015, 23(5):674-684. 

[3] Postpartum Depression: Action Towards Causes and Treatment (PACT) Consortium. Heterogeneity of postpartum depression: a latent classanalysis [J]. Lancet Psychiatry, 2015, 2(1):59-67. 

[4] Thase Michael E. New medications for treatment-resistant depression: a brief review of recent developments [J]. CNS Spectrums, 2017, 22(1):39-48. 

[5] Huang Yan. Clinical observation of acupuncture combined with medicine in the treatment of depression and its effect on P300 [D]. Nanjing University of traditional Chinese medicine, 2010. 

[6] Li Junmou. Experience analysis of acupuncture combined with Chinese medicine in the treatment of depression syndrome [J]. Guangming Journal of Chinese Medicine, 2018, 33(15):2178-2180. 

[7] Gong Dongfang, Yang Haiyan, Zhang Jiawei. Tracing back to the academic idea of combination of acupuncture and medicine [J]. Journal of Clinical Acupuncture and Moxibustion, 2004(08):6-7. 

[8] Zhang Fengfan, Jin Fangmei, Li Fang, et al. Differentiation of acupuncture and medicine, application of combination of acupuncture and medicine [J]. Journal of practical internal medicine of traditional Chinese medicine, 2023:1-3. 

[9] Zhang Peng, Qu Xiaxia, Liu Zhibin. Analysis on the causes of meridian and acupoint fatigue [J].  Chinese Journal of traditional Chinese medicine, 2019, 34 (2): 513-515. 

[10] Dai Ranran, Wang Xinjun. Guiding theory and clinical application strategy of acupuncture combined with medicine therapy [J]. Journal of Nanjing University of traditional Chinese medicine, 2023 (07): 606-612. 

[11] Yang Nating, Tang Kairui, Guo Yu, et al. Analysis of Clinical Regularity of acupuncture combined with medicine in the treatment of depression based on data mining [J]. Chinese Journal of traditional Chinese medicine information, 2021, 28 (06): 29-32. 

[12] Wan Haopeng, Zhang Rui, Xue Jingwei, et al. Clinical study on acupuncture Baihui combined with Zhuyu Xiaoyao Decoction in the treatment of depression after cerebral infarction of qi stagnation and blood stasis type [J]. Hebei Traditional Chinese medicine, 2018, 40 (05): 750-753. 

[13] Ji Xiaona, Ren Yue, Gao Yan. Clinical analysis of acupuncture combined with modified Chaihu Decoction in the treatment of depression [J]. Journal of external treatment of traditional Chinese medicine, 2022, 31 (02): 74-75. 

[14] de Vries Ymkje Anna, de Jonge Peter, Kalverdijk Luuk, et al. Poor guideline adherence in the initiation of antidepressant treatment in children and adolescents in the Netherlands: choice of antidepressant and dose [J]. European child & adolescent psychiatry, 2016, 25(11):1161-1170. 

[15] Ma Yuanye, Zhou Donglin, Hu Jianjun, et al. Duloxetine combined with acupuncture in the treatment of 64 cases of depression with pain symptoms [J]. Western Traditional Chinese medicine, 2015, 28 (02): 108-110. 

[16] Cui Youxiang, Hu Fangmei, Wang Hongliang, et al. Clinical efficacy and safety analysis of fluoxetine combined with acupuncture in the treatment of post-stroke depression [J]. China prescription drug, 2019, 17 (06): 99-100. 

[17] Li Menghan, Guo Yi. Research progress and Prospect of acupoint injection [J]. Journal of acupuncture and moxibustion, 2010, 26 (10): 69-72. 

[18] Liu Pengfei. Clinical control study of acupoint injection in adjuvant treatment of depression [J]. Western Traditional Chinese medicine, 2016, 29 (07): 107-109. 

[19] Shen Yu, Ma De, Chen Ying, et al. Observation on the clinical efficacy of acupoint injection of gastrodin injection in patients with depression [J]. International Journal of psychiatry, 2018, 45 (01): 75-77. 

[20] Paulina Wigner, Piotr Czarny, Piotr Galecki, et al. The molecular aspects of oxidative & nitrosative stress and the tryptophan catabolites pathway (TRYCATs) as potential causes of depression [J]. Psychiatry Research, 2018, 262:566-574. 

[21] Fu Yaxuan, Meng Xianyu, Li Mingchao, et al. Research Progress on antidepressant substances and mechanism of action of Gastrodia elata [J]. Chinese herbal medicine, 2020, 51 (21): 5622-5630. 

[22] Wang Xuxin, Jia Yunyun, Wang Haixia, et al. Acupoint application combined with paroxetine in the treatment of 54 cases of postpartum depression [J]. China Pharmaceutical, 2012, 21 (12): 99-100. 

[23] Zhou Yun. Effect analysis of moxibustion combined with acupoint application in the treatment of elderly depression [J]. Clinical Research of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2020, 12 (03): 31-32. 

[24] Xu Kun, Li Shanshan, Yin Xuan, et al. Analysis of clinical characteristics and related research progress of acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment of depression [J]. World science and technology - modernization of traditional Chinese medicine, 2022, 24 (06): 2179-2185.