Depression is one of the most common complaints we treat at One Essence Healing and Chinese Pulse Diagnosis can help us to determine the etiology of the depression, and Chinese Herbal Medicine, combined with Acupuncture, offers positive results.
Conditions we treat include, but are not limited to:
- Addiction
- Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
- Depression & Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Menstrual Disorders (see Women’s Health)
- Postpartum Depression
Addiction
Treating smoking, drug, or alcohol addiction using Acupuncture has been well researched in the United States. The results show that the success rate is about the same as other methods, specifically about 50%. For this reason, in our office we combine both Acupuncture and Chinese herbs, which greatly increases the success rate.
The role of Acupuncture in nicotine cessation isn’t limited to reducing cravings. Acupuncture has also been shown to promote relaxation and better sleep. Moreover, Acupuncture can be used to treat many disorders associated with smoking, such as damage to the bronchopulmonary and cardiovascular systems and the symptoms from nicotine withdrawal. In our experience, the effectiveness of Acupuncture to stop smoking varies with many factors, including the length of time the patient has been smoking, their overall health, and the frequency of treatment. In many cases, we will also use Auricular (ear) Acupuncture to help the patient retain the effects of Acupuncture between treatments.
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
As of 2010, we have treated ADD in our clinic about 20 times. For those who went through the course of treatments, our success rate has been good. Success means no more drugs and a 80% reduction of symptoms.
Treating this problem in children is extremely heartwarming. We have had several parents literally crying with joy because their children are behaving normally and are no longer on medication. In Chinese Medicine, the most common causes of this disease are either weakness of the lung, adrenal gland, and thyroid combined with slight anemia; or excessive heat/inflammation in the body causing enormous agitation. In either case, Chinese Medicine works very well and quickly too, especially with children.
Depression & Anxiety
Depression and anxiety are two of the most common diseases we treat; usually seeing 20 or 30 patients a day. In Chinese Medicine there are at least 10 different causes of these conditions. First, we determine the etiology (causes) for the problem using Pulse Diagnosis. Once we are certain of the cause, the treatment follows automatically. For mild forms of depression and anxiety, our success rate is encouraging. For more severe problems such as bipolar disease or schizophrenia, Western Medicine appears to work better.
Insomnia
The inability to sleep properly is one of the worst maladies that a patient can suffer. Insomnia makes everything worse — pain, anxiety, digestive disorders and a host of other problems. In Western Medicine, pharmaceutical drugs are the treatment of choice. The problem with these drugs, such as zolpidem (Ambien), eszopiclone (Lunesta), zaleplon (Sonata) or ramelteon (Rozerem), is that they can cause severe allergic reactions, facial swelling and unusual behaviors, such as driving or preparing and eating food while asleep. Side effects of prescription sleeping medications are often more pronounced in older people and may include excessive drowsiness, impaired thinking, night wandering, agitation and balance problems.
In our clinic, we treat insomnia using Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs. In Chinese Medicine, insomnia is just a sign of lack of health and function. By restoring the patient to normal function the insomnia goes away. From our point of view, insomnia drugs do not restore a patient to normal function. They are largely used to subdue the symptom without any regard for the overall health of the individual.
However, in fairness, Western Medicine is expanding its horizons and is now recommending improved diet and exercise as a way of treating insomnia. We applaud this approach, since it is much healthier than loading the patient up on drugs, especially if they are seniors. In Chinese Medicine, insomnia is usually a dysfunction in the heart or liver. If blood flow to the heart is slightly diminished the patient will have a hard time falling asleep. If the liver is inflamed or sluggish the patient will wake up a number of times at night. Both of these etiologies are treated very well using Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine.
Postpartum Depression
Childbirth is by far the largest strain on the human body for most women. The loss of blood and fluid at childbirth combined with sleep deprivation during the first year of the child’s life leaves most women tired, anxious and depressed. Western Medicine usually treats the problem with iron supplements if there is measurable anemia, counseling, and hormone replacement, along with anti-depressants or serotonin re-uptake drugs.
Chinese Medicine takes a different approach. One of the gifts that Chinese Medicine gave the world is the knowledge and use of what are known as tonic herbs, such as ginseng, astragalus and many more. With this class of herbs a well-trained Chinese herbalist rebuilds the vitality and strength of a woman suffering from postpartum depression. The results are usually better than the Western approach and help restore the patient to their former level of vitality, prior to becoming pregnant.
Stress & Tension
Stress and tension are very easily treated with either Acupuncture or Chinese Herbs. Even an inexperienced practitioner will be able to handle these two issues very well.
