People in Western cultures are frequently experiencing melancholy, despair, depression and other mood disorders more than ever before. It’s normal to feel unhappiness and sadness from time to time but when unhappiness, despair, and sadness become a constant affair for you, it becomes a more serious mental emotional problem. According to the Archives of General Psychiatry, 14 percent or almost 15 million of adult Americans suffer from major depression in any given year. Depression can cause serious damage to professional and personal relationships. Chinese medicine and acupuncture in Orlando treat the symptoms of depression as well as its root causes.
The following are the major types of depression:
• Substance-Induced Mood Disorder
• Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
• Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
• Postpartum Depression
• Mood Disorder Due to a General Medical Condition
• Major Depressive Disorder
• Dysthymic Disorder
• Cyclothymic Disorder
• Bipolar Disorder
Each person may experience depression in a different way but a lot of the following symptoms are common to all:
• Irresponsible, reckless behavior
• Weight or appetite changes and disorders and overeating
• Anger, irritability, and moodiness
• Loss of interest in previously enjoyable activities in daily activities
• Sleep pattern changes and insomnia
• Difficulty in decision-making, concentration, memory, and focus
• Feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, melancholy, and sadness
• Feeling of self-loathing and despair
• Loss of energy and fatigue and
• Body aches and pain
A significant percentage of the population is using anti-depressant drugs that have become widely available. A lot of these medications have serious side effects and some of the people taking the drugs say that the side effects are even worse than the depression itself. What’s more, these medications only address the symptoms of depression; what’s more, the depression usually comes back once the patient stops taking them. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine can permanently cure depression because they are able to address its underlying cause.
How is Depression Treated with Acupuncture and Chinese?
Mental depression is usually caused by imbalances in the body but is experienced in the mind. Treatments have been developed by Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners based on acupuncture, herbs, lifestyle changes, and diet in order to restore balance in the body that contributes to the depression symptoms. Chinese medicine has been able to distinguish a number of patterns of imbalance within the body that are causing depression. Practitioners will come up with a diagnosis and address the imbalance using a holistic and comprehensive approach that includes herbs, lifestyle advice, diet, and acupuncture.
Does Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture Really Work in treating Depression?
A 1998 study on depression and acupuncture funded by the NIH and conducted by the University of Arizona shows a 43 percent decrease in the symptoms of a group of severely depressed women (and just above 22 percent in the placebo group). More than 50 percent of the acupuncture treatment group no longer suffered from clinical depression. The study also showed that acupuncture treatments were as effective as psychotherapy and drugs.
A plan of treatment that includes a combination of herbal medicine, acupuncture, lifestyle advice, and dietary changes has been shown to produce the best results of depression treatment. This type of treatment plan also addresses the cause of depression and brings about better long term recovery.
Chinese Medicine Diet and Lifestyle Tips for Depression
In Chinese medicine, one of the main causes of depression is Liver stagnation. To overcome this, exercise is recommended as it tends to release endorphins in the bloodstream that enhances your mood. To address the minor symptoms of depression, there are a lot of simple food remedies one can try to correct liver imbalance.
For Depression Some of the Chinese Medicine Food Remedies Include:
• wild blue-green algae (1.5 grams/serving)
• kudzu root
• fresh wheat germ
• cucumber
• cabbage
• brown rice
• apples
• apple cider vinegar (1 tsp/serving)
To assist with Chinese medicine and acupuncture treatments for depression, you may include one or two of these foods in a meal.