Today, it is estimated that five million Americans are taking Prozac. Unfortunately, over the last seven years there have been 31,000 reports of adverse reactions to this powerful drug. More and more people struggling with depression are beginning to ask, “Is there any safe, effective treatment that I can use regularly without worrying about side effects? What is the natural way to deal with depression?”

In my clinic, I’m often asked the same question by patients, and other health professionals: “How do Chinese, Japanese, and other people from Asia deal with depression?” Prozac is not familiar to most Chinese, not even the health professionals in China. Many popular anti-depression drugs are not available in hospitals in China. It is not that the Chinese experience less stress than Americans do: it is very hard to avoid stress in today’s world, no matter where we live. But people in China deal with stress and emotional problems differently: they get acupuncture treatments and take herbal formulas instead of looking to drugs.

Chinese medicine incorporates centuries of experience in dealing with depression. The first medical book, The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine, which was written 2300 years ago, contained theories on the origins of depression. In Chinese medicine, mental or emotional problems such as depression are attributed to an imbalance or blockage in one or more of the internal organs (Zang/Fu) and the energy pathways (meridians) that pertain to them. Some common patterns that can manifest as depression are Liver qi, Stagnation, Spleen qi Deficiency, Kidney Essence Deficiency, or Lung and Heart meridian disorder. Generally, people begin by experiencing an imbalance in one organ or meridian. Untreated, or improperly treated, the disorder will spread, involving other organs and meridians. Chinese medical doctors emphasize early diagnosis and early preventive treatment of imbalances.

Traditional Chinese medicine, including acupuncture, is a safe and effective way to deal with depression. Acupuncture, herbal formulas, and other Chinese medical modalities have been used in China for over 5000 years, but have only recently become mainstream in the United States in the last twenty-five years.

The people who come to my clinic looking for help with their depression, are typically those who have already tried everything else. Often they have tried seven or eight different anti-depressant prescriptions, with disappointing results. Either the drugs didn’t work, or the side effects were too unpleasant, or they didn’t want to take anti-depression drugs for the rest of their lives. Almost every one of my patients feels that acupuncture has definitely improved their quality of life. A number of scientific studies also supply a great deal of evidence on how and why acupuncture can help depression. A clinical study has shown that patients who received acupuncture treatments experienced significant reduction in depression symptoms. After treatment, more than half no longer meet the criteria for clinical depression. Statistically, that makes acupuncture just as effective as antidepressants. Studies also show that acupuncture can change the levels of many neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, that profoundly affect mental states. If your feeling depresssed. Let Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture help you.

Please give me a call to schedule treatment. 714-875-5790

Acupuncture is an alternative medicine that has been practiced for thousand of years. TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) is quite complex and can be difficult for some people to understand. It is based, at least in part, on the Daoist belief that we live in a universe in which everything is interconnected. What occurs in one part of the body affects every other part of the body.

The mind, body and spirit are not viewed as separate, but viewed as interconnected structures that work together to keep the body functioning. TCM explains acupuncture as a technique that balances the flow of energy or life force known as Qi (chee). Qi flows through pathways (meridians) in your body.

By inserting fine thread like needles into specific points along these meridians, acupuncturist are able to balance the flow of Qi (energy) which then allows the body to balance and heal. Acupuncture is NOT painful. You will feel a heaviness at times when a needle is inserted or shooting sensation of energy through your body. This is energy moving in your body. The treatment will take 4–50 minutes.  During treatment you will be able to relax and listen to music. This gives your body a chance to be calm and heal.

Acupuncture can treat many conditions, its Not just for pain. For example, acupuncture can treat, a common cold, flu, bronchitis, headaches, migraines, menopause, PMS, labor pains, nausea, TMJ, dental pain, osteoarthritis, psychological disorders, addiction, low back pain, knee pain, pain in the body, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, sleep disorders and so many more conditions. Acuupuncture works to balance you mind, body and spirtit. Be consistent with treatments and be patient with yourself.

Give this ancient, wonderful medicine a try, you will be amazed.

Give me a call at 714-875-5790, let this amazing medicine work for you!

How Acupuncture for Anxiety Works

Ancient Chinese medicine describes an energy force called Qi that regulates the body’s overall health, according to University of Chicago Medicine. Like blood in the circulatory system, Qi moves throughout the body via pathways called meridians. When factors like injury, stress, poor nutrition, or a change in environment disrupt the flow of Qi, health issues follow, according to the University of Miami Health System. By inserting needles at specific points in the body, acupuncturists restore the balance of Qi and the body’s overall health.

This concept might seem outdated to some, but Daniel Hsu, DAOM (Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine), LAc, a practitioner at New York AcuHealth Acupuncture in New York City, says Qi is just a metaphor for metabolic function, or the chemical reactions constantly taking place in the body.

Traditional Chinese medicine relates anxiety to an imbalance of the heart and kidney. Fire represents the heart and joy according to the five elements. The diagnosis is that too much heat in the heart will imbalance the interaction with the kidney (represented as water and fear). This will result in the water organ failing to contain the fire organ rising up to the mind, leading to anxiety. Acupuncture on points around the heart, kidney, spleen and ear are used to treat anxiety.

Treating Acupuncture for Anxiety

Acupuncturists insert each needle in what is called a “prescription”. Depending on where the needles go, acupuncture can cause the nervous system to produce painkilling chemicals, jump-start the body’s natural ability to heal itself, or stimulate the part of the brain that controls emotions, including anxiety. All of these results, can help people feel more balanced and treat a variety of illnesses. Acupuncture calms the body, mind and spirit down. Allowing the patient to relax through the treatment and lasting effects are all day.

Acupuncture is a way of being preventative in regards to your health. Take the time out of your busy life and get into the habit of getting regular acupuncture treatment. Regular acupuncture treatments will keep your immunity up, improve your digestion and simply keep you healthy. Regular acupuncture treatment can be once a week, bi-weekly or once and month treatments. Take the time to be preventative.

1. It will open your mind.

Acupuncture requires us to think about health in entirely new ways. Despite noble efforts by many to find one, there is no biomedical equivalent for qi or meridians. Acupuncture turns mainstream medical tenets on their head. It will remind you that there are multiple ways of seeing the world.

2. It can help make you less stressed.

Acupuncture takes the edge off. It removes you from the perpetual state of sympathetic dominance in which so many of us find ourselves. By mellowing out the nervous system, acupuncture can help you feel less affected by and better equipped to manage the stressful aspects of life.

3. It will inspire you to get outside more.

In acupuncture theory, humans are viewed as microcosms of the natural world that surrounds them. Things like weather and seasonal shifts factor significantly into acupuncture diagnoses and treatment plans. When you start thinking about health in this way, realizing the intimate relationship that humans have with nature, it inspires a desire to get outside and commune with your natural habitat.

4. It can help give you more energy.

Although it’s common to find yourself in “acu land” — a somewhat dazed, blissfully-relaxed state — immediately following acupuncture treatment, the after effect is usually increased energy. Many people report having more energy in the hours, days and even weeks after acupuncture treatment. You may notice that you’re avoiding that post-lunch coma, feeling more motivated to hit the gym, or just sensing a little extra spring in your step.

5. It will clear your head.

In addition to the surge of physical energy that follows emerging from acu land, many people notice improved mental clarity after acupuncture. They’re able to make decisions faster with greater confidence. They feel more motivated and resolute about tackling items that have been lingering for months on their to-do lists. It’s as if the mental cobwebs have been cleared out. Suddenly, you will be out of your own way.

6. It will allow you to give yourself a break.

Acupuncture looks at how root imbalances affect the whole system. This means that when one thing is out of whack, it can affect you in multiple ways. Many of us are quick to beat ourselves up when we can’t muster energy for something that used to come easy, or when we fail to accomplish all the things we “should” be doing.

By thinking of yourself as a complex, interconnected system, it becomes easier to understand why you might be feeling incomplete or depleted. Acupuncture broadens your awareness of the things that can potentially influence your physical and emotional health. This, hopefully, will help you be a little kinder to yourself.

7. It can help you sleep.

Insomnia is one of the most common complaints seen by acupuncturists, and acupuncture can be highly effective at helping it. But even in people who do not recognize or mention sleep as a problem, acupuncture has a tendency to produce more restful nights. This often goes unnoticed until asked about on a follow-up visit. Many acupuncturists hear this refrain multiple times a day: “You know, now that you mention it, I have been sleeping a lot better since I started coming for acupuncture.”

8. It will get you thinking differently about food.

Whether you’re Paleo, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, or free of any restrictions, acupuncture will lend some interesting perspective to your food choices. In acupuncture, foods often are thought about in terms of temperature. Some people, because of their constitutions or root imbalances, need warming foods while others need foods that cool. And this can change significantly based on the seasons. Everyone is different. Acupuncture dietary theory sheds light on why some people can eat certain foods and feel unaffected while others can’t even look in their direction.

9. It will help you embrace change.

Conventional medicine requires us to think in absolutes, to label things good or bad, black or white. We’re either sick or we’re healthy. Our numbers are too high or too low. We’re happy or we’re depressed. Yet in between these extremes, subtle yet significant shifts occur. Acupuncture works in this gray area and teaches us to reflect on the small changes happening within and around us all the time. In acupuncture, this is progress. Unwillingness to accept change is a huge source of stress and anxiety for many people. Through reframing change as a marker of progress rather than something to be scared of, you will learn to love it.

10. It will give you something to talk about at parties.

Acupuncture is a crowd pleaser! Next time you’re feeling awkward or bored at a social gathering, mention that you recently had acupuncture. You’ll be an instant sensation. People love learning about acupuncture. Did it hurt? Did she stick them in your eyes?People also love sharing their own acupuncture experiences, so it’s a quick way find common ground and make friends.

11. It will make you more patient.

We loooove technology. Whether it’s the latest product from Apple or a cutting-edge MRI, we lust after shiny tools that promise to make us better. Technology, while awesome, acclimates us to quick fixes and perpetuates an “I want it now” mentality. This creates chronic impatience.

Acupuncture, because it works but rarely overnight, can help us combat this. Acupuncture is an ongoing process that requires an investment of time and a willingness to let go of our desire for instant gratification. It will make you a more patient person.

12. It will make you tough.

It’s not always easy to embrace acupuncture. Most doctors, as well as some family, friends and colleagues, regard mainstream medicine as the only acceptable form of health care. The constant barrage of pharmaceutical advertising is hard to ignore. It takes courage to go against the grain.

Acupuncture, although becoming more popular, is still not the norm. It requires a conscious commitment to understanding ourselves in a way that the majority shuns. This is the harder path toward health but ultimately the most rewarding.

13. It will make you believe in yourself.

The driving idea behind acupuncture is that we’re already in possession of everything we need to be well. Acupuncture does not add or subtract anything. Rather, it prompts the body to do what it already knows how to do. It reminds you that you have the power to heal yourself.

This does not mean that external interventions such as pharmaceuticals or surgery should always be shunned — in many cases, these are life-saving measures. But it does mean that becoming healthier, whatever that means to you, is within your control. When it comes to improving our physical and emotional health, most of us are capable of a lot more than we think. By using a therapy like acupuncture, which embraces rather than ignores our innate healing capacity, you’re making a statement that you believe in yourself.