DAAN Chinese Herbs and Acupuncture

Doctors are researching whether traditional Chinese medicine can help treat mental health issues:

“Acupuncture has been popular in China for ages, but it only managed to penetrate Western medicine only three decades ago. The Philippines was introduced early to this mode of healing because of the strong Chinese presence in the country.

Acupuncture and most other oriental healing modalities uphold the concept of qi or chi¯the universal life force that permeates all living things. Qi was also known as ki in Japanese, pneuma in Greek and prana in Sanskrit.

According to the principle, qi flows along the meridians that run across the human body. A blockage on any of these channels indicates an onset of a disease. Acupuncture operates on the premise that by inserting fine needles on certain points of the body, the blockages can be removed and any imbalance in the flow of qi can be corrected.

Acupuncture for mental disorders

The theory of acupuncture dictates that there are 12 meridians that run along the body, with each corresponding to a particular organ. There are a total of 361 acupuncture points on the human anatomy, according to Reyes, though only 300 of these are actively used. She explains that to understand how acupuncture can be used to treat mental disorders, it is good to examine the Chinese concept of Shen.

Shen in traditional Chinese medicine encompasses the whole spectrum of mental, emotional and spiritual aspect of an individual. It is integral to the Chinese therapeutics theory that says, “Emotions have distinct effects on the various organs.”

Reyes cites a few basic examples. Joy and love, according to her, affect the heart while sadness and grief affect the lungs, hence the rapid heartbeat and difficulty in breathing experienced by individuals agitated by these emotions.

Zeroing in on specific cases, depression, mood swings and impatience, she said, may indicate qi stagnation in the liver. After a careful diagnosis of the patient’s symptoms, an acupuncturist can stimulate the necessary points to restore the qi’s optimum flow.

Traditional Chinese medicine is holistic in its approach, the reason why Reyes mentioned the importance of nutrition to one’s emotional and mental well-being. The food and beverages we consume, she explains, will have a profound effect on our thoughts and emotions.

Reyes again used the liver to illustrate the point. She said that a case called “liver blood heat” is induced by excessive consumption of alcohol and fried foods. More heat in the liver can lead to violent tendencies, she warns, and this explains the phenomenon of angry drunks and post-drinking binge fights.”

Tags: Acupuncture //