Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Natural Approach to Healing Depression and Anxiety
Treatment of Depression and Anxiety
As with every condition, the TCM treatment of anxiety and depression begins with taking a thorough history to identify the pattern. Because the root cause is addressed and a protocol specifically tailored for each person, side effects are virtually eliminated.
Treatment usually involves Chinese herbal formulations and acupuncture as it induces the release of endorphins and other neurotransmitters responsible for elevating moods. And because it triggers a relaxation response, patients who are hyper and restless may even fall asleep during a session!
The complications of drug dependance associated with the treatment of psychiatric disorders are widespread. To alleviate this, acupuncture treatment is now being used to complement Western medicine and plays a vital role in prisons, rehabilitation center and mental health facilities.
Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety
Depression and anxiety are debilitating conditions that adversely affect work, creativity, spirituality, relationships and physical well-being.
Contemporary Western psychiatry defines anxiety as a state of fear usually accompanied by physiological changes such as a fast heartbeat and rapid breathing. “Major” depression is described as being in a severely depressed mood for at least two weeks, accompanied by at least four additional symptoms including:
- changes in appetite
- weight loss or gain
- sleep disturbance
- fatigue
- feelings of worthlessness or guilt
- difficulty thinking
- suicidal thoughts
Other types of depression are “minor or reactive” which occur during a reaction to a stressful life event, and “endogenous” which arise from changes in the brain.
Chinese Medical Theory on
Depression and Anxiety
Chinese medicine is rooted in the Taoist principle of non-duality which theorizes that the body and mind are connected. Therefore, physiological events may manifest as mental-emotional sensations and experiences and psychological events may manifest with negative effects on the body's physiology.
Today Western medicine also recognizes the body-mind connection and how they influence each other. For example, it explains how heart and tissue damage occur due to high levels of cortisol and adrenaline resulting from long term anxiety, stress and depression.
Research on TCM Treatment of Depression and Anxiety
A pilot study by researchers at the University of Arizona confirmed acupuncture to be a promising treatment for major depression.
Thirty-eight adult women with mild to moderate depression were treated with acupuncture for each individual specific pattern of symptoms. After being treated twice per week for one month and once per week for a second month, for a total of twelve sessions;
70% of women experienced at least a 50% reduction of symptoms.
These results are comparable to the success rate of psychotherapy and medication.
Reference: The study was published in the September 1998 issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the American Psychological Society, as “The Efficacy of Acupuncture in the Treatment of Major Depression in Women” by authors John J.B. Allen, Rosa N. Schnyer, and Sabrina K. Hitt.
Submit your inquiry of traditional Chinese medicine and anxiety and depression to info@IMeGHealth.com or contact us at our Vancouver office to see if we can help on your conditions.