Depression and Traditional Chinese Medicine

One of the strengths of Traditional Chinese Medicine is that it incorporates the psychological with the other aspects of health.

From the point of view of Traditional Chinese Medicine 'emotional' problems often begin with the "Liver". The liver is traditionally said to be in charge of 'the free flow of qi'. (You can see that the Traditional Chinese Medicine idea of the "Liver" is very different to western medicine's concept). What this means is that when we are healthy and flowing easily with life our "Liver" is healthy. When we come across obstacles and can't flow with them we usually get frustrated which usually leads to anger. We then tend to lose our equilibrium. This is the origin of most 'emotional' problems from the Traditional Chinese Medicine point of view.

What I mean by depression is not just normal sadness. Depression is a sense of disconnection from life that is very deep. The anguish of those in a deep depression is quite awful.

This lack of connection from our life energy can manifest in different ways depending on the person's circumstances and constitution. There are different flavors of depression so to speak. These have to do with the other organs that are involved.

Some depressed people will have a feeling that everything is an effort and like they are walking through a swamp, they will feel heavy and that their muscles are sluggish. This "flavor of depression" is due to what in Traditional Medicine calls a "Spleen" problem. The spleen controls our digestion of life. So these people may have obsessive thoughts (a lack of mental digestion). For the "flavor of depression" that is due to a "Heart" problem there will be a loss of the joy of life. There will be a sense that the person has "shut down" and is cut off from others. If it is a "Lung" problem the emotional tone will be one of sorrow or regret. They will perhaps be mourning a past event and can't finish with it. The final "flavor of depression" is due to a "Kidney" problem. This will feel like utter exhaustion and will probably be characterized by a complete loss of libido.

The way depression is treated in Traditional Chinese Medicine will always address the causes but will also deal with the other "flavors" that are involved. In Traditional Chinese Medicine there are also many different treatment options. The acupuncture points and herbal formulas chosen will be adjusted to the individual, and massage

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

---

Add your voice

Know something about Traditional Chinese medicine and its uses for depression?
We want to hear your view. Write now!