Moxibustion for depression: A meta-analysis.
Yingcun Li, Minling Li, Fengxia Sun et al.
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In 30 seconds
This meta-analysis assessed moxibustion, alone or alongside other therapies, for depression. It included 15 randomized controlled trials with 1510 patients, comparing moxibustion with sham treatment, no treatment, or conventional therapies. Moxibustion-based treatment was associated with a higher overall effective rate than comparators (relative risk = 1.07, 95% confidence interval [CI]: [1.03-1.10], P = .0003) and lower Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores than other treatments used alone. The authors also reported fewer adverse reactions, but graded the overall evidence as low to very low.
Key findings
- Across 15 trials involving 1510 patients, the overall effective rate favored moxibustion-based treatment (relative risk = 1.07, 95% confidence interval [CI]: [1.03-1.10], P = .0003).
- Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores were lower with moxibustion-based treatment than with other treatments alone (mean difference = -2.10, 95% CI: [-3.00 to -1.20]).
- Compared with antidepressant medications, symptom-score effects were comparable (mean difference = -0.60, 95% CI [-1.31 to 0.12], P = .10).
- Adverse reactions were less frequent with moxibustion alone or combined with other therapies (relative risk = 0.57, 95% CI: [0.39-0.84], P = .005); evidence quality was low to very low.
Why it matters
The pooled findings suggest moxibustion may have a role as an adjunct or alternative approach for depressive symptoms, with reported symptom-score and adverse-reaction advantages in the included trials. However, low to very low evidence quality limits confidence in these estimates. The results highlight the need for better-quality trials before drawing firm conclusions about efficacy or safety.
What to keep in mind
The review judged the overall evidence low to very low, limiting confidence in the pooled estimates.