Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Treatment for Depression
Depression is a common illness that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest in activities once enjoyed. Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of helplessness, hopelessness, and sadness, along with loss of interest in daily activities, anger or irritability, changes in appetite or weight, changes in sleep, loss of energy, self-loathing, and reckless behavior.
Traditional Chinese medicine believes these illnesses are caused by seven emotional disorders: sadness, anger, melancholy, fear, and so on. In general, acupuncture is believed to stimulate the nervous system and trigger the release of neurochemical messenger molecules. The resulting biochemical changes influence the body’s homeostatic mechanisms, thus promoting physical and emotional well-being.
Sadness and melancholy are two feelings present at some point in everyone’s life, just like joy and pleasure. The first two are not in themselves pathological, but they can sometimes become so for some people. When an individual’s mood at a certain point in their life suffers from severe and prolonged feelings of sadness or related symptoms that affect their ability to relate to others, work, or cope with the day, sadness becomes an illness, which is known as depression. Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of helplessness, hopelessness, and sadness, along with a loss of interest in daily activities, anger or irritability, changes in appetite or weight, changes in sleep, loss of energy, self-loathing, and reckless behavior.
Women are twice as likely to experience depression during times of hormonal changes, such as premenstrual periods, pregnancy, postpartum, and menopause. Almost everyone experiences low mood at some point in their lives. However, when life circumstances become overwhelming, temporary feelings of inability to cope or anxiety can spiral out of control, leading to full-blown clinical depression. Additionally, chronic health problems, such as long-term pain, can trigger depression
From a traditional Chinese medicine perspective, depression is primarily related to Liver Qi Blockage, which is the energy organ responsible for circulating Qi, or vital energy, in our body. As a person’s mood becomes low, Qi, or vital energy, becomes blocked. This depresses the flow of Qi within the body, leading to Liver Qi Blockage. This indicates that Qi within the body does not flow and produces symptoms of depression.
Algunos estudios sugieren que la acupuntura tiene el efecto más inmediato y puede ser el tratamiento de elección para la depresión y la ansiedad, especialmente cuando se combina con psicoterapia o farmacoterapia.»El beneficio de la acupuntura combinada y la medicación antidepresiva para la depresión: una revisión sistemática y un metanálisis«
A study shows that patients with severe depression who received acupuncture treatment saw their depression levels decrease more than patients who received standard care in Western medicine. Acupuncture treatment for depression focuses on circulating Qi and balancing energy flow. .Acupuncture stimulates the nervous system and triggers the release of neurochemical messenger molecules The resulting biochemical changes influence the body’s homeostatic mechanisms, thus promoting physical and emotional well-being.
Revisiones sistemáticas recientes: Mintel / YouGov (2006). «Encuesta de depresión encargada por la Asociación Británica de Consejería y Psicoterapia» Zhang ZJ y otros (2010).
The effectiveness and safety of acupuncture therapy in depressive disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders. Journal of Affective Disorders.
