Acupuncture Stand Alone Therapy For Mild And Moderate Depression

A large percentage of my clients seek my professional services to treat their mild or moderate depression. In certain cases, where appropriate, I work with the patient's psychiatrists and psychologists to ensure that the patient has been tested for neurological disorders and ensure that a western medical diagnosis has been determined.  I am quite often asked what it is I do that transforms many of these patients from a medicated and depressed state into persons who have begun to live their lives fully. In many cases, they have been able to reduce or eliminate their medications with their psychiatrist's blessings.  The key to treatment is this:  I look at the whole person.  I do not focus solely on the dis-ease.  I listen to what the lifestyle and habits are of the person....sleep, diet, exercise, sexuality, professional status, previous illnesses, familial medical and psychiatric history.  For certain diagnoses where there are neurological imbalances, it is necessary for the patient to remain on medication.  In these cases, acupuncture can reduce or eliminate the side effects of such medications (anxiety, insomnia, low libido, etc).  But for almost every case of mild or moderate depression, the Chinese medical practitioner looks at the body's emotions as being in disharmony. The seven emotions  (joy, anger, worry, contemplation, grief, fear and shock) each relate to a specific organ of the body. When these energetic imbalaces of the meridians related to the organs and their emotions are regulated, the patient will respond accordingly.  For example, bouts of anger and rage can be sedated and controlled by treating the Liver and Heart meridians.   Hyper-excitability and other inappropriate behavior can be controlled or eliminated by treating the combined meridians of various organs.  All this is based on tongue and pulse examination and diagnosis.  In Chinese medicine, there are 18 pulse positions that we diagnose that tell us much about the patient's condition.  Tongue diagnosis gives us a plethora of information of systemic functions.  It's not hocus pocus.  It is the motis operandum utilized for over 3,000 years in the history of Traditional Chinese Medicine.  Many of my patients keep up with their treatments on a regular basis well after they have removed themselves from their 'black holes'.  They are drug free and living their lives fully and with gusto.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Treating persons who have been diagnosed with depression takes listening and compassion, but also requires that the practitioner not enable the patient's condition further by being overly sympathetic.  These people need positive input, but also realistic and objective therapy.  If you or someone you care for is suffering from the 'blues' or depression, call or email my office.  Start your journey out of  'the black hole' today.