| Emotional & Mental Problems
It is obviously normal and healthy to experience
the full range of human emotions. However, sometimes we can get
stuck in one particular emotion, or it can come to dominate our
lives for years on end.
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Chinese medicine is very good at moving “stuck” emotional
patterns. It has been traditionally used by Buddhist and Daoist monks
to help them remove mental obstacles on the road to “enlightenment”!
Emotional and mental problems, if not resolved, will lead sooner or later
to physical problems. In Chinese medicine, each emotion affects a certain
organ, as follows:
Over-joy heart
Grief lungs
Anger liver
Fear kidneys
Worry digestive system
Unlike Western medicine, Chinese medicine always looks for the root cause
of any illness.
Insomnia
This is a very common problem in our society. Chinese medicine
recognises many different root causes of insomnia, including:
Lack of rest
Over – exertion
Stress
“Blood deficiency” (often a nutritional deficiency)
“Yin deficiency” (usually a hormonal imbalance)
During the consultation you will be asked questions to determine the
exact cause of your own insomnia.
Acupuncture is very effective at treating insomnia due to stress and
worry, as it stimulates production of endorphins in the brain, which cause
a feeling of deep relaxation.
Certain Chinese herbs act as natural sedatives, without making you feel
sleepy. Others can nourish the “Blood” and “Yin”:
in modern Western terms, they can help the hormones to balance.
You may be given relaxation and breathing exercises as part of your treatment.
Anxiety & Panic Attacks
A certain amount of anxiety is normal, particularly around stressful
times such as during exams or relationship problems. However, anxiety
can get out of hand and have a very negative impact on one’s life.
If untreated, anxiety can lead to panic attacks, an increasingly common
problem seen in clinic. It is good to seek treatment at an early stage,
before things get really out of hand. It is always easier to treat imbalances
at an early stage than at a later one.
Depression
In Chinese medicine, this is often due to repressed anger or
unfulfilled desires. An important part of treatment is usually to address
such underlying issues.
However, talking is often not enough, and acupuncture can be a powerful
tool to get things moving.
Problems with medication
Sometimes medication is necessary, particularly when one is losing control.
However, many people come to rely on medication in the long term, which
can often have unhealthy side – effects.
Chinese medicine can offer a safe and gentle alternative, but please
bear in mind that:
One should never stop taking or reduce the dose of prescribed medication
without consulting a doctor.
However, in consultation with the patient’s G.P., Chinese medicine
can often help people to reduce or come off their medication. It has certainly
allowed many people to avoid taking it in the first place!
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