TREATMENTS

Depression

A study done by the Department of Psychology at the University of Arizona found that acupuncture was effective in reducing relapse rates of women with depression. In a double-blind randomized controlled trial, 26 women with major depression received regular acupuncture treatments for 8 weeks. At the conclusion of treatment, 17 women achieved full remission of their condition and only 4 of those women experienced a relapse of their depression symptoms six months later. This small study suggests that acupuncture, when used specifically to treat depression, produces results that are comparable to other empirically validated treatments.

It is known that when acupuncture needles are inserted into the body, endorphins are released. En-dorphins act in the body as natural calming and pain-relieving agents. This helps with the emotional effects of depression, as well as the physical symptoms that can often accompany it. Acupuncture also helps to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, thereby helping to relax the body and mind. But the effects of acupuncture go beyond just working on the nervous system. The physical body, the emotions and the spirit are inextricably linked. Acupuncture has long been an effective method of treating these three levels of the human being. Treatment incorporates, but is not limited to, addressing issues of neurotransmitter deficiencies; it works with the whole person to treat the physical, mental and emotional aspects of this condition.

Stress

Acupuncture for the Treatment of Stress

There are several ways that acupuncture reduces stress and its side-effects. The first is that acu-puncture is very relaxing. Once the needles are inserted, you lie on a massage table and rest for 20 minutes. Many patients fall into a state of deep and total relaxation. After treatment, many people feel calm and at the same time restored to their more natural self. Secondly, while you are resting, the acupuncture needles are working to balance your whole body. For instance, if, because of stress, you experience chronic neck and shoulder pain, the treatment will focus on relaxing muscle tension and increasing circulation to tight, ischemic areas. Or, if your reaction to stress is more emotional, treatments will help to balance mood swings and release pent-up feelings. If your health is beginning to suffer because of stress and disease is occurring, acupuncture can treat and reduce or eliminate the problem (see specific disease conditions on this site to understand how acupunc-ture treats these problems). Finally, often times, because of long term stress, many different symp-toms are occurring at once. Acupuncture helps to address the origin of the problem, while at the same time reducing the painful symptoms that are affecting your health and well-being.

Insomnia

In order to treat insomnia, Chinese medicine looks at 3 specific aspects of your health:

- The problem pattern of sleep
- Your emotional health and the effects of stress
- The condition of your physical health.

Knowing these things gives your acupuncturist important information about the root of your insom-nia—the underlying condition which may be causing or contributing to the problem. An “underlying condition” can be anything from daily stress to habitual, pent-up or unresolved emotions; it can also be a pattern of pain and discomfort while sleeping; it can be a result of menopause or aging; it can even be a problem rooted in your digestion. The point is, in Chinese medicine, if your health is suf-fering in another area, your sleep will reflect that problem. Once these factors are identified, treat-ments simultaneously address the root condition and the problem pattern of sleep so a normal sleep cycle can quickly be restored.

In a small study published in the Journal of Neuropsychiatry, 18 patients suffering from anxiety and insomnia were treated with acupuncture twice a week for five weeks. One week before and after treatment, they were given tests to determine changes in melatonin, sleep quality, total time spent asleep and other variables. One week following completion of treatment, sleep efficiency and nighttime melatonin levels had increased.

Addictions

When a person decides to quit smoking, various withdrawal symptoms occur. Emotional imbalanc-es include irritability, anxiety, decreased threshold for stress, emotional outbursts, crying and/or a vague but strong sense of dis-ease. Physical symptoms vary greatly from increased food cravings, constipation or diarrhea, insomnia, decreased energy, palpitations, night sweats, digestive discom-fort, muscle tightness to dryness. These withdrawal symptoms occur as the body attempts to re-adjust itself to no longer processing nicotine and the various addictive and harmful substances found in cigarettes. It takes most people at least two weeks to re-establish systemic harmony and feel at ease again without cigarettes, even though their bodies will continue to release and expel stored substances for months or years to come. But it is the first two weeks that is the most difficult period for smokers to get through. After that it is usually emotional triggers (or reminders) that need to be dealt with to prevent relapses.

Acupuncture helps people to stop smoking by tailoring their acupuncture treatments to their specific needs. There is no redundant set treatment because no one thing can work for every person. To be most effective, acupuncture must be based on specific needs and circumstances. Each person participates in a complete health evaluation and substance use history so that the acupuncture treatment that follows targets each individual’s concerns and imbalances.

After an acupuncture session, patients are taught how to apply acupressure to the ear points with tiny seeds that are placed on the ear. This gives people a proven tool to use on their own, to help decrease cravings and increase detoxification between treatments.

Stoppen met roken zonder begeleiding of therapie is zeer moeilijk. cijfers tonen aan dat slechts een zeer klein aantal rokers kan stoppen met de zogenaamde "cold turkey methode", op eigen houtje dus en zonder hulpmiddelen.

Acupunctuur pakt bij het stoppen met roken zowel de lichamelijke als geestelijke nicotineverslaving aan. door het aanprikken van specifieke acupunctuurpunten zal u minder last hebben van ontwenningsverschijnselen, wordt het gemis aan tabak en de daarmee gepaard gaande stress en agitatie onderdrukt, en wordt uw wilskracht gestimuleerd waardoor volhouden makkelijker wordt.