Acupuncture and Depression

Depression is one of the most common illnesses in today’s society — affecting up to 10 percent of the adult population each year. A growing number of adolescents and children seem to be affected by depression also. Although it appears to be  affecting the emotional state of a person, depression is being manifested in all areas of one’s life: physical, mental and emotional . Depression often interferes with normal functioning and can cause significant pain for those who have it, as well as who care about them.

Major symptoms of depression show up in manners like:

• Feeling down, deep and under most of the time
• Markedly diminished interest in pleasure in almost all activities
• Significant weight loss or weight gain
• Insomnia or hypersomnia
• Anxiety or lack of desire to do any thing
• Fatigue or loss of energy
• Feelings of worthlessness, guilt and desperation
• Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide, or a specific plan or attempt of suicide

Perhaps, all of us know someone who suffers from depression.  Then, what makes people depressed and what are the causes of depression?  Despite intensive research,  scientists still do not know the real cause depression.   A general belief is that a combination of genetic, psychological, and environmental factors can trigger some imbalances in brain chemicals.  These chemicals include serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. What is not known is whether these chemical imbalances are a result or a cause of depression.

Some are more prone to depression than others. Top risk factors that bring about depression include: Family history of depression, major illnesses, history of substance abuse, hormonal factors, and STRESS.

Except for cases like post-partum and clinically dangerous(suicidal) depression, that undefined  yet widely used term STRESS seems to be the root cause of depression symptoms.  For those who suffer from a deep depression, medications as well as intense psychological therapies must be administered. For majority of other mild to severe depression patients, some measures of dealing with STRESS, whether it is a form of prayer, meditation, singing and laughing therapy, need be introduced.

Importance of a balanced nutrition, right amount and type of physical exercises cannot be stressed enough.  More importantly, regardless whether it is a clinical depression or a STRESS-induced depression, if someone definitely wants to lessen the symptoms of depression, one should seek help from acupuncturists.

Now, let’s talk about how acupuncture can do for patients with depression. According to Chinese medical theories, depression can be defined as “Disturbed Shen.”   What is Shen?   It can be roughly interpreted as “Spirit.” This Spirit is so delicate yet so powerful that without a balanced shen, we cannot be happy, healthy, and maintain a normal daily life.  Your acupuncturist may be able to detect whether your shen is strong and healthy, and if not,  he or she should be able to tell why it became weak. Most often, disturbed shen is being manifested through the Heart meridian, yet the real causes of the disturbance may come from the Liver, the Spleen or the Kidneys.

Example 1. A person with a major blockage in the Liver meridian, would experience a high level of anxiety, frustration and repressed anger–all of which are different forms of depression. The liver imbalance can spill over the Heart meridian, as a result, this person may experience intermittent heart pain along with muggy and cloudy thought patterns. In this case, an acupuncturist may insert needles on those points where the liver can be pacified, and the heart can be calmed down.
Example 2. A woman who is going through perimenopause may experience a severe mood swing along with hot flushes.  Depression during this period is very common.  Here, a woman’s body is going through a  major upheaval, hence energy flows in all meridians tend to be disrupted.  Most of all, during this period, the kidneys cannot provide enough support to other organs.  Since the  heart energy is not being supported by her kidneys,  a woman’s  shen, originally stored in her heart,  is going out the window. In this case, she should be needled on points which strengthen the kidneys first.  The kidneys, in turn, will help out the heart consequently.
Example 3. A person who has a chronic digestive issues along with irritable bowl syndromes.  Since this person’s basic sustaining power, which has be to supplemented through the digestive functions, has been depleted so long that shen has been impacted negatively. It is common to see cranky, whining people among those who have chronic digestive disorders.  These people must be helped in restoring their digestive functions first, along with strengthening the emotional state through the heart meridian.

The above examples show that not all depression is created equal in Chinese medicine. Instead of looking at how to pacify a patient from a single dimensional plane, acupuncturists can offer treatments that can deal with the real causes of depression, along with minimizing the depression symptoms.

Almost always, most patients feel incredibly relaxed and feel peaceful after an acupuncture treatment. Many fall into sleep during the treatment. In that relaxed state, where the mind is not crunching the numbers or figuring out how to deal with stressful situations, healing takes place and Shen is Restored.