Acupuncture points for the treatment and prevention of mental illness

Mental illness is a serious psychological disorder, which is understood differently in Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine. According to traditional Chinese medicine, people have seven emotions and six desires. If they do not properly vent their negative emotions in life, when they accumulate to a certain level, they will change from quantitative change to qualitative change, thereby destroying the balance of the internal organs and turning into mental illness. That is, if the human body is out of balance for a long time, it will lead to mental disorders. Next, we will discuss how to prevent and treat mental illness from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine.

The reason why schizophrenia is highly prevalent in spring is closely related to the dysfunction of the liver's secretion function. Some people may say, isn’t the heart the master of the spirit? How is it related to the liver? Regarding this point, Chinese medicine says that the heart governs blood and the liver stores blood. When we are in a bad mood, it will naturally affect the liver's function of storing blood. If the liver qi is not smooth, the accumulated heat will turn into fire, which will eventually affect the function of the heart.

For example: "Suwen·Yin Yang Ying Xiang Da Lun" says: "Anger hurts the liver, and sadness overcomes anger." "Lingshu·Ben Shen" also says: The liver, when moved by sadness, will hurt the soul, and a hurt soul will cause arrogance and lack of concentration. These discussions all indicate that if one is depressed, the liver's function of dispersing and regulating will be disturbed, and the liver will then become depressed and turn into fire, disturbing the mind, resulting in "stagnation of qi and blood in the brain" and the appearance of symptoms of madness such as "crying and laughing endlessly, swearing and singing, not avoiding relatives and strangers, and many bad behaviors". Therefore, the normality of the liver's secretion function is indeed closely related to the onset of epilepsy.

The Hegu and Taichong acupoints are indeed the nemesis of schizophrenia. Zhou Erjin, a rare figure in folk Chinese medicine, has completely cured many patients with schizophrenia using these two acupoints. Why do these two acupoints have the effect of treating schizophrenia?

Let’s talk about Taichong point first. You should know that the first acupoint on the liver meridian is Taichong. As the saying goes, the speed of a train depends on the locomotive. The Taichong point is equivalent to the role of a leader. In addition, judging from the name of Taichong, Tai means too big and grand, and Chong means channel. What is the grand channel in the human body? Of course, it is the channel through which the human body supplies blood, that is, the channel through which the liver supplies blood to the heart. So by rubbing the Taichong point, you can supply blood to the heart. In addition, Taichong point is the original point of the liver meridian. In ancient Chinese, "yuan" also means origin, which means the place where the source comes from. It is the master switch of the liver meridian. As long as this main switch is turned on and opened, the qi and blood in the entire liver meridian will be vigorous. This is why Taichong point can prevent and treat schizophrenia.

Let’s take a look at the Hegu point. Hegu point is the original point on the large intestine meridian. Like Taichong point, it is a master switch of the large intestine meridian. However, it is not only the switch of the large intestine meridian, but also one of the master switches of the human body. Because Hegu point is one of the "four general points". The ancients divided the body into four major parts: "abdomen", "waist and back", "head and neck" and "face". Each part had a master switch. Hegu was responsible for the face, so there is a saying that "the face is controlled by Hegu". After this switch is turned on, the qi and blood in the face will be effectively replenished. In addition, Hegu point has the special function of raising the clear and lowering the turbid, and promoting the circulation of Qi and blood. Therefore, it should not be underestimated in the treatment of schizophrenia.

Therefore, in daily life, we should massage these two acupoints more often, especially in the spring when schizophrenia is prevalent, massaging these two acupoints is particularly important.

Before massaging the Taichong point, it is best to soak your feet in warm water for 10 to 15 minutes, then use the tip of your left thumb to rub the right Taichong point. After 3 minutes, use the tip of your right thumb to rub the left Taichong point for 3 minutes. Repeat 2 to 3 times for a total of 10 to 15 minutes. When kneading and pressing, you should apply a little force to produce a feeling of soreness or even pain. This method is not only suitable for patients with schizophrenia, but also for those who like to sulk, swallow their tears, and those who are depressed, anxious, and worried. It is recommended to massage 1 hour after a meal. However, it should be noted that it should be used with caution by people with coagulation disorders and is prohibited for use by pregnant women.

The massage method of Hegu point is: hold your left hand with your right hand, bend the thumb of your right hand and press it vertically on the Hegu point, pressing it tightly and loosely, with a frequency of about once every 2 seconds, or about 30 times per minute. What is important is that the pressure needs to be strong, and the acupoints should feel sore, numb, and swollen, and even have a feeling that spreads to the tip of the index finger and above the elbow, which is the "qi" phenomenon. Only in this way can it play the role of preventing and curing diseases. A light massage will not have a very good effect. However, the sensitivity of meridians varies from person to person and from disease to disease, so it is also necessary to make differentiation and treatment appropriately. Generally, it is not difficult to achieve with a little practice. In addition, it should be noted that patients with poor physical constitution should not be given strong stimulation, and pregnant women generally should not massage the Hegu point.

Of course, since the onset of schizophrenia is often related to the seven emotions, maintaining emotional stability is more important than anything else. At the same time, you should also be careful not to overwork yourself. There is a story in Taiping Guangji that says that Li Guang, the historian of the Northern Qi Dynasty, was very diligent in compiling history books. One night, he dreamed that a man came to him and said, "I'm leaving. Your service is too hard for me, so I'm leaving." It turned out that the historian's heart was overwhelmed and he resigned. From then on, he became listless and died not long after. Although this story seems absurd, one thing is certain: excessive mental fatigue can cause mental damage; mental damage can ultimately harm a person's life.