Mental & Emotional Health
The snow goose need not bathe to make itself white. Neither need you do anything but be yourself (Lao Tzu)
Mental Health and Emotional Health - from a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective
The World Health Organization predicts that by 2020 depression will be second only to chronic heart disease as an international health burden (WHO, 2008).
Since ancient times, Traditional Chinese Medicine has acknowledged the importance of mental and emotional health, alongside physical health. In fact, the seven emotions are considered to be the internal cause of disease and disharmony when they are not balanced - these are Anger, Joy, Sadness, Grief, Worry, Fear, and Shock. For example, too much anger is as unbalanced as too much joy, but each will manifest different physical symptoms. The Seven Emotions relate to the 5 Elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water) and different corresponding organs of the body. During our treatment sessions I will use Traditional Chinese Medicine and 5 Elements Acupuncture to identify any underlying patterns of disharmony, form a diagnosis and then formulate a treatment plan.
The principal benefit of using Chinese Medicine to treat mental and emotional issues is the recognition and understanding that the body, mind, and emotions are interchangeable and that they must all work together in balance for a person to be truly well.
The cure of the part should not be attempted without treatment of the whole (Plato)
How can acupuncture help you?
Acupuncture is a complementary medicine that can be safely used alongside conventional medicine such as anti-depressants and anti-anxiolytics.
Acupuncture can provide support for the following conditions:
​
-
Depression (research here, British Acupuncture Council factsheet, here)
-
Stress
-
Addiction
Depression
You can read the factsheet produced by the British Acupuncture Council here, and further research, here.
​
From a Western medicine viewpoint, acupuncture can support depression by:
​
-
Stimulating the nervous system and causing the release of neurochemical messenger molecules. The resulting biochemical changes influence the body’s homeostatic mechanisms, thus promoting physical and emotional wellbeing.
-
By altering the brain’s mood chemistry, and increasing the production of serotonin (Sprott 1998) and endorphins (Wang 2010).
-
By acting through other neurochemical pathways, including those involving dopamine (Scott 1997), noradrenaline (Han 1986), cortisol (Han 2004), and neuropeptide Y (Pohl 2002).
-
Stimulation of certain acupuncture points has been shown to affect areas of the brain that are known to reduce sensitivity to pain and stress, as well as promoting relaxation and deactivating the ‘analytical’ brain which is responsible for anxiety and worry (Hui 2010). Stress-induced changes in behaviour and biochemistry may be reversed (Kim 2009).
​
(Source British Acupuncture Council. Full references can be viewed here)
​
Anxiety
The British Acupuncture Council has issued a factsheet detailing the research in support of acupuncture helping anxiety. You can read this here and further research here.
​
From a Western medicine viewpoint, acupuncture can support anxiety by:
​
-
Acting on areas of the brain known to reduce sensitivity to pain and stress, as well as promoting relaxation and deactivating the ‘analytical’ brain, which is responsible for anxiety and worry (Hui 2010).
-
Regulating levels of neurotransmitters (or their modulators) and hormones such as serotonin, noradrenaline, dopamine, GABA, neuropeptide Y and ACTH; hence altering the brain’s mood chemistry to help to combat negative affective states (Lee 2009; Samuels 2008; Zhou 2008; Yuan 2007).
-
Stimulating production of endogenous opioids that affect the autonomic nervous system (Arranz 2007). Stress activates the sympathetic nervous system, while acupuncture can activate the opposing parasympathetic nervous system, which initiates the relaxation response.
-
Reversing pathological changes in levels of inflammatory cytokines that are associated with anxiety (Arranz 2007)
-
Reversing stress-induced changes in behaviour and biochemistry (Kim 2009).
​
(Source: British Acupuncture Council. Full references can be viewed here.)
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
The British Acupuncture Council has published a factsheet outlining the research in respect of the use of acupuncture to support PTSD, you can read this, here.
​
The evidence for the benefits of acupuncture in the management of the symptoms of PTSD is growing. Currently, the evidence suggests acupuncture:
​
-
Improves PTSD and depressive symptoms (Grant 2018; Kim 2013; Feng 2019)
-
Can improve sleep quality (Huang 2018; King 2015)
-
Helps with pain and physical functioning (Engel 2014; Moiraghi 2019)
-
Reduces the symptoms of PTSD to the same extent as cognitive behavioural therapy (Metcalf 2016)
(Source: British Acupuncture Council. Full references can be viewed here)
​
​
Clinicians should strongly consider acupuncture for those suffering from PTSD, particularly in conjunction with more traditional treatments such as psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy.
​
(Wynn GH. Curr Psychiatry Rep 2015; 17: 600)
Insomnia
The British Acupuncture Council has produced a factsheet regarding the use of acupuncture to support insomnia, you can read this here.
​
Research has shown that acupuncture treatment may specifically be of benefit in people with insomnia by:
​
-
Increasing nocturnal endogenous melatonin secretion (Spence et al 2004).
-
Stimulating opioid (especially b-endorphin) production and µ-opioid receptor activity (Cheng et al 2009).
-
Increasing nitric oxide synthase activity and nitric oxide content, helping to promote normal function of brain tissues, which could help to regulate sleep (Gao et al 2007).
-
Increasing cerebral blood flow (Yan 2010) reducing sympathetic nervous system activity, hence increasing relaxation (Lee 2009a) regulating levels of neurotransmitters (or their modulators) such as serotonin, noradrenaline, dopamine, GABA and neuropeptide Y; hence altering the brains’s mood chemistry to help to increase relaxation and reduce tension (Lee 2009b; Samuels 2008; Zhou 2008).
​
(Source: British Acupuncture Council. Full references can be viewed here).