Post-Stroke Depression

Presentation Slides

Chinese Medicine Research Hub

Review Article

Acupuncture could help manage different types of depression by increasing neuroplasticity, decreasing brain inflammation, and reducing side effects of conventional antidepressant treatment.

2022 Current Neuropharmacology Potential Mechanisms and Clinical Effectiveness of Acupuncture in Depression
Yang NN, Lin LL, Li YJ, Li HP, Cao Y, Tan CX, Hao XW, Ma SM, Wang L, Liu CZ

Chinese Medicine Research Hub

Systematic Review

Acupuncture combined with antidepressants showed a more favourable effect on the treatment of post-stroke depression than antidepressants alone.

2020 Acupuncture in Medicine Does acupuncture combined with antidepressants have a better therapeutic effect on post-stroke depression? A systematic review and meta-analysis
Kun Zhang, Guangwei Cui, Yuan Gao, Weidong Shen

Chinese Medicine Research Hub

Systematic Review

Chai Hu Shu Gan San (a traditional Chinese Medicine) is a promising in treating depression, especially in post-stroke and postpartum cases.

2018 BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies Treatment of depression with Chai Hu Shu Gan San: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 42 randomized controlled trials
Sun Y, Xu X, Zhang J, Chen Y

Executive Summary

Write an executive summary in the form of a blog article on the topic of "Research into Chinese medicine treatment for Post-Stroke Depression" summarising the research below and using language that can be easily understood by patients and avoiding medical jargon using a professional and caring tone of voice.

Write an executive summary in the form of a blog article on the topic of "Researched Chinese medicine treatments for Post-Stroke Depression" summarising the research below in an objective and easy to understand way, and using language that can be easily understood by patients. Group the article into Chinese medicine treatments first, followed by nutrition and other treatments. Avoid using medical jargon and use a professional and caring tone of voice.

Write me a concise but easy to understand executive summary on the topic of "Chinese medicine treatments for Post-Stroke Depression" based on the following research that I will give you. Your summary should be 2 paragraphs long in Australian English spelling and include references to the studies.

A Review Article published in 2022 in the journal Current Neuropharmacology found that Acupuncture could help manage different types of depression by increasing neuroplasticity, decreasing brain inflammation, and reducing side effects of conventional antidepressant treatment. The study under review examines the possible mechanisms and clinical effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of different forms of depression. To do this, the researchers examined existing studies and evidence involving both human patients and animal models. A significant aspect of the investigation involved assessing how acupuncture influences neuroplasticity within the hippocampus and neural networks, along with probing the role of this non-pharmaceutical therapy in modulating brain inflammation, which had potential implications for alleviating depressive disorders. The discussions of the results indicated that acupuncture showed considerable promise in the relief of primary depression, especially in milder cases. It was also found useful in the management of post-stroke depression, pain-related depression, and post-partum depression. The study noted positive outcomes both when acupuncture was offered as a stand-alone treatment, and when combined with conventional pharmacological treatments. It was observed that the combination of acupuncture and anti-depressant drugs not only improved primary and secondary depressive symptoms but also managed to reduce the side-effects often associated with medication regimens, which are frequent contributors to high dropout rates in pharmacological treatments.

A Systematic Review published in 2020 in the journal Acupuncture in Medicine found that Acupuncture combined with antidepressants showed a more favourable effect on the treatment of post-stroke depression than antidepressants alone. Thirteen randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 904 participants were included in the study. The results of this meta-analysis showed that, compared with antidepressants alone, acupuncture combined with antidepressants led to a significant decrease in the HAMD score, had a better effective rate and lower National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores, and led to a significant increase in the Barthel index scores.

A Systematic Review published in 2018 in the journal BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies found that Chai Hu Shu Gan San (a traditional Chinese Medicine) is a promising in treating depression, especially in post-stroke and postpartum cases. The review assessed the efficacy of Chai Hu Shu Gan San, a traditional Chinese medicine, in treating depression. Out of 560 initial studies, 42 trials met inclusion criteria. These studies were conducted in China from 2006 to 2016, involving 3234 patients with depression. Chai Hu Shu Gan San demonstrated better efficacy compared to controls, especially in post-stroke and postpartum depression. However, the methodological quality of the included studies was assessed as low, with high risks of bias. While Chai Hu Shu Gan San showed promise, further rigorously designed randomized controlled trials are needed for a conclusive evaluation of its safety and efficacy in treating depression.

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