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Acupuncture and Mental Health
Creating Mental and Emotional Wellness with Acupuncture
Occasionally we must all deal with major upheavals or emotional
distress at some points in our lives. These events can trigger a host
of unexpected feelings and behaviors from depression and panic attacks
to major disruptions in sleep and eating. Not only can acupuncture and
Chinese medicine alleviate symptoms associated with mental health
issues, it can treat the root cause of the problem by helping to
rebalance the body’s internal environment.
What are Mental Health Disorders?
Mental health disorders are medical conditions that disrupt a person’s
thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others, and daily
functioning which result in a diminished capacity for coping with the
ordinary demands of life.
Serious mental illnesses include major depression, schizophrenia,
bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder,
post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and borderline personality
disorder. Mental disorders can affect persons of any age, race,
religion, or income. Experts estimate that almost a third of people in
most countries report sufficient criteria at some point in their life.
The good news about mental disorders is that recovery is often possible.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Mental Disorders
According to Chinese medical theory, a mental disorder occurs when
there is imbalance within the body. Imbalance can come from an excess
or deficiency of yin and yang that disrupts the flow of qi or energy
through the body.
Chinese Medicine does not recognize any mental disorder as one
particular syndrome. Instead, it aims to treat the specific symptoms
that are unique to each individual using a variety of techniques such
as acupuncture, herbal medicine, bodywork, lifestyle and dietary
recommendations and energetic exercises to restore imbalances found in
the body. Therefore, if 100 patients are treated with Chinese medicine
for anxiety, each of these 100 patients will receive a unique,
customized treatment with different acupuncture points, different herbs
and different lifestyle and dietary recommendations.
If you or a loved one are experiencing a mental/emotional problem,
please call us to see how acupuncture and Chinese medicine can help.
The Five Elements and Emotions
The Principle of the Five Elements (known as
the Wu Xing) describes the flow of qi and the balance of yin and yang.
The Five Elements refer to wood, fire, earth, metal, and water in
Eastern philosophy. They are used to interpret the relationship between
the physiology and pathology of the human body and the natural
environment.
In Chinese medicine, each element is associated with certain
mental/emotional states. For instance, our memory, thought processes,
emotional well-being, and consciousness are also attributed to the
heart and fire element. When the fire element is in balance, the heart
is strong and healthy, the mind is calm and sleep is sound. When the
fire element is imbalanced, we may either lack joy (depression) or have
an excess of joy (mania). Indicators of an imbalance in the fire
element include agitation, nervousness, heartburn, and insomnia.
The Five Elements and Emotions
Wood (Liver) – Anger, jealousy, frustration, resentment, bitterness and stress
Fire (Heart) – Mania and over-excitation
Earth (Spleen) – Anxiety, pensiveness and worry
Metal (Lung) – Grief and sadness
Water (Kidney) – Depression and lack of will
Yintang: The Third Eye Point
Acupuncture has been found to be helpful with
all types of emotional and mental disorders, from stress and anxiety to
schizophrenia. Often used for such treatments is Yintang, a point located between the eyebrows - sometimes referred to as “the third eye.”
The Chinese translation for the acupuncture point, Yintang,
is “hall of impression”. “Hall” is defined as a corridor or passageway,
or the large entrance room of a house. An “impression” is defined as a
strong effect produced on the intellect, emotions, or conscience. Thus,
Yintang is the entrance or passageway to the mind.
Location: Midway between the eyebrows
Indications: Calm the mind, enhance one’s ability to focus, soothe emotions, promote sleep, and relieve depression.
Study: Acupuncture and Depression
Psychologist John Allen, from the University of Arizona in Tucson,
and Acupuncturist Rosa Schnyer, conducted the very first pilot
controlled study on treating depression symptoms with acupuncture in
the Western scientific world. In a double blind randomized study, 34
depressed female patients who met the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria were
assigned to one of three treatment groups for eight weeks.
The first group received acupuncture treatment specifically tailored to
their depression symptoms. The second group received a general
acupuncture treatment not specific to depression, and the third group
was placed on a waiting list for acupuncture treatment, but received no
treatment. The study found that those in the tailored acupuncture
treatment experienced a significant reduction in symptoms, compared to
those in the non-specific treatment. Moreover, over 50% of the
participants no longer met the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for
depression after the study.
The study findings suggest that using acupuncture alone could be as
effective as other types of treatments for relieving depression
symptoms typically used in Western medicine, such as psychotherapy and
drugs.
Acupunture & Wellness Clinic is expanding...
The Acupuncture and Wellness Clinic is expanding its services to
include Reiki and Acupressure with Elaine Richards. Reiki and
Acupressure are two more ways to effectively balance your body and
mind. Both are ancient healing techniques of Eastern origin, which help
relieve physical or emotional pain and tension, in addition to
providing stress reduction. You can relax and replenish with the
calming energy and warmth provided in Elaine's sessions.
Elaine
has been a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant for 8 years, and is
a Reiki II practitioner, also trained in Energy of Life Emotional
Healing Acupressure. She is excited to be serving a new area and
growing her healing practice by offering these two forms of energy work
at the Acupuncture and Wellness Clinic, on weekday mornings by
appointment.
Also look out for Elaine's upcoming self-care classes for improved health and harmonious well being.
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