Welcome to another enlightening episode from Journey of Traditional Chinese Medicine!
In this insightful episode, "How Acupuncture Treats Depression," we delve deep into the heart of mental wellness through the lens of TCM.
Understanding Depression in TCM: Depression is more than just a state of mind; it's a reflection of disharmony within the body. TCM views depression as an imbalance of Qi (vital energy) and emotional blockages. This video explores how acupuncture, a cornerstone of TCM, seeks to address these imbalances, offering a path to emotional and mental harmony.
Join Dr. Tzeching Wang as she explains the intricate process of acupuncture in treating depression. Discover how the strategic placement of needles can stimulate the body’s natural healing processes, enhance mood-regulating neurotransmitters, and restore Qi flow, bringing a sense of balance and calm to the mind and body.
Remember, you're not alone in your journey toward mental wellness. Acupuncture could be the key to unlocking a more balanced, peaceful state of being.
Don't forget to subscribe to our channel for more enlightening content on TCM and holistic health. Together, let's embrace the journey to wellness, one step at a time.
Using Chinese medicine, just like everything else, you can use it solely, you can use in conjunction
with the pharmaceutical or any other therapy. It doesn't interfere with what you already is receiving.
As we know, depression, like any other emotional disorder, there's a link of the underproduction
of serotonin, and I'm sure that there are a lot of literature that has stressed that. From the TCM
perspective, however, depression is caused by, first, the deficiency of qi. So the deficiency
of qi, you can imagine that the river, if you look at the meridian, it's kind of like river,
and the qi is like the water that flows in the river. When the river is slowed down or dries up,
it's starting to stagnant. So when it's stagnant, imagine those river is going to a garden that
the flower or plants in the garden, the garden cannot thrive. So the flower in the garden,
the plants in the garden, they're starting to wilt it. So depression, if ever been a depression,
although we're not talking about clinical depression, just a depressive mode,
it's like everything's starting to shut down. So a lot of time it's like, okay, I can think,
but it feels like I'm thinking in 60% of my capacity. So that's a sign of qi deficiency.
And on top of that, because the water flow is diminishing because the volume of the water
is not enough due to qi deficiency, it's starting to cause stagnation. And that stagnation,
you can have the qi stagnation, blood stagnation, phlegm stagnation, and that caused the brain fog
or the not able to clear the mind or not having motivation. So in TCM perspective, qi deficiency,
qi stagnation, blood stagnation, and phlegm stagnation, they are the pathological change
in depression. I think we are really lucky to live in a world that we have a lot of option
medically. And of course they are talk therapy, they are psychotherapy, they are pharmaceutical
that can help. But I think one of the other option, and of course, being a Chinese medicine
practitioner is that I think Chinese medicine and acupuncture definitely can help that.
As we know, serotonin, 90% or more than 90% of serotonin is actually made in the gut. And in
Chinese medicine, spleen and stomach, it controls the emotion of thinking. So if we look at
depression, a lot of times it's more, you can kind of describe that person as overthinker.
So having a strong spleen and stomach qi, it kind of corresponding or it kind of reflects on what
we talk about the serotonin production in a gut health. So help in treatment, like a principle
of treatment of depression in TCM is to build a gut health. Or in Chinese medicine, we call it
and that also help the liver qi to smooth it out. So I think, you know, Chinese medicine,
including acupuncture and herbs, it's a very holistic approach, because it's not just targeting
on the emotional part, it target on the root, the root or the organ that govern the emotion,
and which in a way that also build a holistic perspective of wellness.
A lot of time the patient that come in to treat depression with acupuncture and Chinese herbs,
a lot of time they can expect to see that their gut health is better regarding their appetite,
their digestion, their elimination. And the second one is actually the quality of sleep.
The quality of sleep actually is one of the most direct result from the treatment, and they can
find themselves sleep steeper, more restoratively, and also wake up with feeling more refreshed.
And the third one is that they can find themselves feeling more energetic. And a lot of time in
clinical depression that, you know, the sleep disruption and not feeling energetical,
not motivated are the signs, the clinical side of that. And using Chinese medicine,
just like everything else, you can use it solely, you can use in conjunction with the pharmaceutical
or any other therapy. It doesn't interfere with what you already is receiving. And I think it
will be very beneficial for people that is treating depression with therapy, pharmaceuticals,
because it's overall helping the body to restore its balance and strength.
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