Winter Depression and Acupuncture
Although Holidays can be a joyous time of celebration, they are often experienced with periods of increased stress, anxiety, and even depression. If you would like to mitigate those negative emotions that burden your appreciation of the holidays, Acupuncture and Eastern Medicine might be the solution you need.
In traditional Chinese medicine, anxiety is often correlated with the Heart organ, which is said to “house” the mind. High levels of anxiety over prolonged periods can burden the Heart and mind. Since every system is connected, if the Heart begins to weaken it will pull from other individual systems in order to keep the whole system running. On the other hand, a weakness in one of the other systems can also pull from, or burden, the Heart system causing anxiety. In order to find the root cause and identify which system is causing the main disruption, we look at different patterns of symptoms along with tongue and pulse diagnosis. Identifying which system is the culprit is essential to choosing the right acupuncture points and herbal formulations to help your individual anxiety or depression feel better.
Here are some of the more common patterns in traditional Chinese medicine we often see when treating stress, anxiety, and depression:
- Liver Qi Stagnation- The Liver controls circulation of Qi through the entire body so when its Qi is stuck or stagnated, it cannot properly nourish the heart. This pattern is characterized by feeling “stuck” and restless. The person may feel a sense of tightness in the chest, ribs, or throat, frequent sighing, and may experience stagnant digestive issues such as bloating or constipation.
- Heart Yin or Blood Deficiency Pattern - This pattern includes hot flushes, frustration, insomnia, palpitations, even dizziness, and often occurs after long periods of more intense anxiety or stress.
- Heart Fire Pattern - This pattern is caused by short and extreme episodes of anxiety. It often causes heart palpitations, irritability, insomnia, bitter taste in the mouth, thirst and dry mouth, and overthinking.
- Heart-Spleen Disharmony/ Spleen Qi Deficiency - This pattern is associated with worry and overthinking. It is common with people who don’t follow regular eating patterns, excessively worry, and have a poor diet. Fatigue, indigestion, bloating, loss of appetite, pale complexion, and breathlessness are common with this pattern.
- Kidney Yin Deficiency - The Kidney and Heart have a special connection where the Kidney grounds and holds the Heart energy down and keeps the Heart cool. This pattern is characterized by a sense of exhaustion, both physical and mental. The person may feel a sense of emptiness or lack of purpose. This may be caused from burning the candle at both ends for too long or adrenal fatigue. There may also be insomnia, low back or knee pain or weakness, dizziness or tinnitus, hot flashes, and night sweats.
Acupuncture, cupping and herbal medicine can play a huge role in addressing each of these types of imbalances linked to anxiety and depression. Nutrition also plays a crucial role and foods that nourish the spleen and liver are recommended (like the recipe in this newsletter). Mind-Body Practice practices like Tai Chi and Qigong combine movement, meditation, and deep breathing to promote balance and reduce stress. These are perfect for those who find sitting still and meditating to be a challenge.
We are here to help you find the right combination of traditional Chinese medicine treatments for your individual pattern of depression or anxiety!