By Beth Sommers, PhD, MPH, LAc

and Kristen Porter, MS, MAc, LAc

"Our medicine combined with the empathetic nature of

its practitioners, can serve as a powerful intervention

for crisis care and a vehicle of hope during and following

times of catastrophe."

- Janette Reber MAc, LAc, Boston Acupuncture Trauma Relief co-founder.

On Monday, April 15 2013, locals and visitors from around the globe gathered for the world's largest marathon in the city of Boston. With 23,000 participating in the race and many more on the sidelines, the marathon represents a Boston institution. Terror and chaos struck as two bombs exploded that killed three and wounded more than 250 others. Survivors of the blasts have suffered injuries ranging from amputation to PTSD. Read more...

(NaturalNews) A growing body of research suggests that acupuncture may be a safe alternative to psychiatric drugs for those suffering from depression and anxiety.

"The functional MRI studies are showing that acupuncture has an influence over brain chemicals, such as dopamine and serotonin," said Jamie Starkey, an acupuncturist at the Cleveland Clinic's Center for Integrative Medicine. "And those are the chemicals that make you feel good. Those are the happy chemicals."

Antidepressants are some of the most widely prescribed drugs in the United States. According to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Columbia and University of Pennsylvania and published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, their use doubled between the years of 1996 and 2005.

But side effects are common and can be severe. Indeed, many antidepressants can actually worsen depressive symptoms and even increase a person's risk of suicide. In addition, recent studies have called the overall effectiveness of these drugs into question. For example, a meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2010 concluded that both older (tricyclic) and newer (SSRI) antidepressants are no more effective than a placebo, and are significantly less effective than talk therapy. Notably, antidepressant drugs are least effective in patients with less severe depression, the very population in which acupuncture is most helpful.

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