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Stress, Anxiety and Depression
What is stress?
Stress is the body’s inability to regulate the internal environment, and thus creates an imbalance within. Feelings of anxiety may develop and low mood to the point of depression and despair.
How can TCM address issues with anxiety and depression?
TCM practitioners believe that physical health issues are connected to a person’s emotional state (and vice versa). Practitioners of TCM view emotions as an integrated aspect of organ functions, and sometimes the root cause of disease. TCM classifies emotions into seven categories, with each emotion corresponding to a particular organ. For example, the lungs are commonly linked to grief and the ability to let go. The seven emotions are anger, joy, fear, worry, grief, fright, and sadness.
One TCM theory on anxiety is that a person can have excessive energy, also referred to as heat or energy (qi), in the head. Symptoms of anxiety akin to this idea include insomnia, racing thoughts, and excessive worry. In such a case, the treatment would consist of inserting needles into various points on the body, such as the fingers, hands, wrists, ankles, and feet, in an effort to redistribute the patient’s energy, in order to improve sleep and reduce worry.
Depression, on the other hand, can be described as stagnant energy within the body. This stagnation can create imbalances that lead to symptoms of depression, such as an inability to focus, melancholy, anger, fatigue, and a lack of inspiration. Acupuncture addresses the issue by enabling the energy to move more efficiently, balancing the organ systems and creating homeostasis. The idea is that creating balanced energy better equips a person to manage stress and steady emotions, and enables a more peaceful feeling.
How does TCM work?
Imagine your body is a river with water flowing through it. When a tree falls in the middle of the river, it creates havoc at the top and bottom of the river as well. Things like a poor diet, emotional stress, or physical trauma are the equivalent of the tree falling in the river. Acupuncture attempts to remove the tree and restore the normal flow of energy throughout your body.
How long will it take to feel results?
Healing time depends on the patient and the severity of his or her symptoms. Some patients report relief after just one session of acupuncture. Others may feel a difference within weeks or a month’s time, while still others might take up to several months to feel back to normal. A typical treatment schedule might begin with one to two sessions a week, tapering as the patient’s symptoms begin to improve.
If you’re experiencing problems with anxiety and depression, talk to your primary care provider about treatment options and whether you might benefit from trying TCM therapies.