Improving Mood with Acupuncture

July 03, 2017 | By Naturo Medica | Articles | Share

Mood disorders such as anxiety and depression impact the lives of many people causing a great deal of pain and suffering. Medications can be effective and are at times necessary to help manage the symptoms of anxiety and depression. Fortunately, there are many complementary medical approaches that are safe and effective for treating mood disorders. At NaturoMedica, Dr. Bokman uses acupuncture to treat patients who are suffering from anxiety and depression.

Acupuncture is a powerful tool used in Chinese Medicine that provides significant relief from anxiety and depression. The beauty of Chinese Medicine is that not only does it seek to provide relief of symptoms, the overall goal is to treat the root cause of a condition, which brings about deep and lasting healing. Additionally, Chinese medicine addresses the physical, spiritual and emotional aspects of a person, which is essential when treating mood disorders such as anxiety and depression.

You are probably wondering how this mysterious system of Chinese medicine works to treat mood disorders. Chinese medicine is based on a system of 12 organs that are associated with energetic channels called meridians. These meridians travel throughout the body in distinct pathways and are lined with acupuncture points. These small points that can be stimulated by hand or with a needle to bring about change in the associated organ.

In Chinese medicine there are many different imbalances in the organs that can result in anxiety and depression. A skilled acupuncturist will perform a thorough intake as well as feel your pulse and look at your tongue to determine the “pattern” that you are presenting with which is at the root of your mood disorder.

Once a diagnosis is made, acupuncture points are carefully selected that will help to provide symptomatic relief as well as treat the root cause of your anxiety/depression. Chinese herbal formulas are another fundamental aspect of Traditional Chinese Medicine. At NaturoMedica, Dr. Bokman will often prescribe customized Chinese herbal formulas that work synergistically to amplify the healing effects of your acupuncture treatments.

This is an example of two cases of mood disorders that are treated very differently with Chinese medicine based on the pattern each patient presents with:

John is a 45 year old man who came to NaturoMedica with severe daily anxiety accompanied by low level depression. He reported a great deal of work stress and had been travelling weekly and pulling 70 hour work weeks. John had also been experiencing some digestive upset, especially noticeable when stress levels were high. Dr. Bokman felt John’s pulse which was rapid and wiry. His tongue appeared dusky with distended sublingual veins. John was diagnosed with liver qi stagnation with heat and prescribed the Chinese Herbal formula Dan Zhi Xiao Yao San. After 6 weekly acupuncture sessions focused on moving liver qi and clearing heat, John reported experiencing a significant decrease in anxiety levels and felt that he was better able to cope with his work stress after a month of treatment. He noticed consistent improvement in his low mood over time.

Maria is a 30 year old woman who came to NaturoMedica to be treated with acupuncture for anxiety, poor memory and heart palpitations. Maria tended to be a worrier her entire life, but the anxiety started to become more pronounced about a year after she gave birth to her first child. She lost a considerable amount of blood during the delivery. Maria’s pulse was thin and thread. Her tongue appeared to be pale pink and small. Dr. Bokman diagnosed Maria with with blood deficiency and she was prescribed the Chinese herbal formula Ba Zhen Tang, also known as Women’s Precious Pill. Maria noticed that her anxiety levels were considerably improved after each acupuncture visit. After three months of weekly acupuncture and Chinese herbal therapy Maria’s anxiety had resolved and she felt like her old self again.

During an acupuncture visit, many patients report a sense of peace and tranquility as well as a drop in anxiety levels. Dr. Bokman recommends that patient receive weekly acupuncture visits for 5 weeks before re-assessing. Acupuncture also works as a complement to medication or natural therapies that improve mood.