Acupuncture For Balancing Depression
Acupuncture seeks to address body, mind, emotions and spirit. It is a holistic medicine whose 5000-year-old roots began in China. It may include all of the aspects of Chinese medicine such as herbology, diet, and tui na massage therapy.
The goal of acupuncture is to create a harmony and balance within the person and his or her environment. Acupuncture does not treat depression in a cookbook fashion. The individual must be assessed from an Easter Diagnostic perspective. The diagnosis is very metaphorical and the diagnosis will not be similar to the type that one would receive from a Western Medical Model.
Depression is seen in Chinese medicine as a combination of disharmonies in the energetic systems of the body. These include deficient or stagnant energy, or imbalance of yin and yang, or specific organ or emotional disruptions. This imbalance can take many forms, and is ultimately discerned by the acupuncturist through an ongoing evaluation process which encompasses observation of posture, gait, demeanor, skin tone, brightness of eyes, voice, smell, tongue and pulse diagnosis, palpation and asking about symptoms and history.
Our TCM diagnosis describes a pattern of harmony or disharmony. This involves assessing the condition of spirit, essence, energy, blood, fluids, organs and channels. There are fourteen (14) main channels, which can be described as rivers of energy or QI moving through the body. The QI is considered the “vital life force”. The channels connect with each other and run through every part of the body. On the surface are the acupuncture points that can be described as wells or vortexes, which tap into these energy rivers. Each point has several functions. When the needle is placed into a point we are facilitating the flow of life force. We bring energy into areas of deficiency and unblock the flow where there has been stagnation.
The experience of having acupuncture is pleasant, relaxing and energizing. The needles are hair thin, sterile and generally painless and never used twice. There may be a brief soreness or pulling sensation which means that your QI has connected with the needle. You are made comfortable and draped appropriately. A good treatment feels like being in “the zone” or a deep meditation as your body moves back into balance.
Every person will have a very specific diagnosis and treatment depending on the imbalance assessed. There is not a specific cookbook formula for Depression. Each person is seen as an individual with special needs.
In practice, I find that acupuncture can help patients to get over the initial hump that is necessary to make the changes to fight depression. The changes such as diet, nutrition, and counseling all require a lot of effort. After an acupuncture session you can see an energetic shift which inspires the movement for the work ahead.
