One condition that I am asked about constantly is how acupuncture and Chinese Medicine can help in treating depression.
What’s Depression Exactly?
Now, what are the common symptoms of depression? Let’s quickly discuss this, before we go into Chinese medicine’s view of this condition. Depression is a mood disorder that results in state of “low” mood and is sometimes identified by an aversion to daily activity. The psychological and physical signs of depression can affect not just the thoughts and feelings of an individual person but also their physical well-being.
It is not unusual for those afflicted with depression to show a wide range of symptoms, including: insomnia, anxiety, trouble concentrating, aches and pains in the body, quick weight loss or gain, poor memory, fatigue, digestive problems and in many cases a total lack of interest in doing the things they used to like doing. In extreme cases of depression, suicide could even be considered or attempted.
How is Depression Customarily Treated?
Today, the most common treatments for depression are psychotherapy and anti-depressant drugs. Unfortunately, it is very common for drugs to be prescribed regardless of the exact symptoms of the depressed individual.
Okay, What about Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine to Treat Depression?
Alternatively, Traditional Chinese Medicine approaches the issue of depression from a distinctly different view point. TCM doesn’t pile all these symptoms together and classify it as “depression” or as one individual disease for that matter. We work to treat the exact symptoms possessed by each individual patient and don’t believe that there is a one-size-fits-all answer to this complex disorder. Using a wide array of TCM techniques, including: Chinese herbs, acupuncture and energetic exercises, we work to correct imbalances throughout the body and treat the specific symptoms that a patient is experiencing.
The purpose of acupuncture is to excite the body’s energy flow, or Qi, and revive functionality. Though many consider acupuncture a preventive health care practice, studies have confirmed its ability in treating pain and other persistent well-being related conditions.
Since the late 1980s and early 1990s, there’s been a large number studies that suggest the treatment of depression with acupuncture is an acceptable option. Including acupuncture has been shown to have a positive and holistic effect, especially when mixed with herbal treatments and psychotherapy.
Rob Green is an acupuncture and alternative health writer who writes regular content on behalf of BodaHealth a Vancouver acupuncture & Traditional Chinese Medicine clinic.
