Acupuncture and Mental Health
Mental health disorders are medical conditions that disrupt a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others, and daily functioning which result in a diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life. Acupuncture is growing as a complementary treatment to these problematic mental and emotional conditions, which include, but are not limited to: depression, insomnia, panic disorder, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and borderline personality disorder.
Mental disorders can affect persons of any age, race, religion, or income. Experts estimate that almost a third of people in most countries report sufficient criteria at some point in their life. The good news about mental disorders is that recovery is often possible.
Acupuncture can play a unique role alongside other therapies in the treatment of mental and emotional disorders. It is safe, stable, and more focused on physical changes of symptoms. Acupuncture has been shown to have multiple positive outcomes of a person on the physical, emotional, and mental levels.
Chinese Medicine does not recognize any mental disorder as one particular syndrome. Instead, it aims to treat the specific symptoms that are unique to each individual using a variety of techniques such as acupuncture, herbal medicine, bodywork, lifestyle and dietary recommendations and energetic exercises to restore imbalances found in the body. Therefore, if 100 patients are treated with Chinese medicine for anxiety, each of these 100 patients will receive a unique, customized treatment with different acupuncture points, different herbs and different lifestyle and dietary recommendations.
Since the early nineties, studies around the globe have suggested that treating depression with acupuncture has a positive and holistic effect on depressed patients, particularly when used in combination with psychotherapy and herbal treatments.
Acupuncture and Addiction
Acupuncture is rapidly increasing in popularity as an effective aid in the control of many addictions – from ones involving alcohol and drugs to those involving impulse control, nicotine and overeating. It is a complementary treatment to problematic psychological and emotional conditions, which include depression, insomnia, panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Acupuncture is clinically effective in treating substance abuse, assisting in pain management, and is a powerful tool in helping a person’s inability to control and manage impulsive behaviors and need for various forms of stimulation, i.e. sex, gambling, shopping and internet abuse, etc. By increasing serotonin production and raising endorphin levels, acupuncture helps to normalize the complex functioning of the neurochemical pathways of the brain. This action reduces cravings, can ameliorate withdrawal symptoms, and create a sense of calmness which encourages physical, emotional and spiritual healing.
The National Acupuncture Detoxification Assocation auricular acupuncture protocol is used around the world to help people deal with and recover from substance abuse. The NADA protocol has been shown in a variety of clinical settings to be beneficial in the process of detoxification from substance abuse as well as to help with the emotional, physical and psychological attributes involved in addictions.
Articles & Research Links:
Huffington Post on Depression: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-weil-md/integrative-mental-health_b_354332.html
Research on Depression: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19429024?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum&ordinalpos=7
Research on Addiction: http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/archives2000/oct/10cocaine.html
Research on Detox/Addiction: http://acupuncture.com/research/detox.htm
Research on Insomnia: http://www.medicalacupuncture.org/aama_marf/journal/vol13_3/article4.html
Research on Anxiety/Depression: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19241647?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum&ordinalpos=3