TCM treatment of depression

Nowadays, more and more people have mental problems. Some people do not recognize their own problems, which may cause their mental illness to become more and more serious. When treating mental illness, people usually use some drugs or psychological counseling methods, and most of the drugs used are Western medicine. In fact, traditional Chinese medicine can also treat mental illness. Traditional Chinese medicine treatment of depression is mainly through unblocking congestion. Let’s learn more about it in detail.

In ancient Chinese medical treatises, the treatment of depression mainly focused on the word "Yu". Traditional Chinese medicine believes that depression is caused by blockage in the body, obstruction of the flow of vital energy, qi and blood in the patient's body or loss of vital energy, which makes it impossible for the patient to express his or her normal emotions, causing emotional imbalance and leading to depression. Therefore, Chinese medicine mainly uses these principles in treatment.

If there is blockage in the internal organs, it is called liver depression. The liver is the place where the qi and blood of the five internal organs are cultivated, and the liver is used to express and regulate. If there is depression, the liver will hurt and the mood will be blocked. The five internal organs of the human body complement each other. If the liver is blocked, the body will experience depression, restlessness, swelling and pain in the ribs on both sides, emotional instability, irritability, crying and anger, and insomnia.

Depression is not just a bad mood caused by liver stagnation, it can also cause qi stagnation, blood stagnation, food stagnation, etc. Among them, qi stagnation is the first priority. Qi stagnation can cause blood stasis. Long-term depression can lead to phlegm and dampness, food accumulation and abdominal distension, etc. Some patients will experience weak heart and spleen, restlessness, and symptoms of yin deficiency and hyperactivity of fire. In short, from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, patients with depression can be said to have a lot of blockages and an imbalance of yin and yang in the body.

There are only two methods of treating depression in traditional Chinese medicine: one is Chinese medicine treatment, and the other is acupuncture. Chinese medicine treatment should also be tailored to the symptoms. There are medicines for treating liver qi stagnation, phlegm qi stagnation, heart and spleen deficiency, heart deficiency and confusion, and yin deficiency and hyperactivity of fire. The right medicine should be prescribed based on the patient's actual symptoms. In addition, acupuncture is also very effective in treating depression. After nearly 50 years of development, it has become very mature.

In addition to drug treatment for depression, you must not relax psychological treatment. Psychological treatment plays an important role in the subsequent development of the disease and prognosis of the patient. For the patients themselves, during the treatment of depression, they should pay attention to cultivating a regular life, arranging time for exercise and entertainment, getting out of the house and getting more exposed to the outside world, making life full of interest, enhancing self-confidence, and improving the quality of life.