Health Viewpoints
Depression can cause low mood, negative thinking, insomnia, and a series of physical complications. In the most extreme cases, it can lead to suicide. Though there are pharmaceutical options for depression, once you start taking them, you must be careful about going off them, or there can be profound consequences.
Here, Chen Junru from the Jinghe Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic in Taiwan helps us understand what is going on with depression and how to treat it naturally.
Depression is a widespread disorder. Western medicine diagnoses depression when five of the following nine symptoms last longer than two weeks:
- Low mood
- Loss of interest in things one previously enjoyed
- Appetite changes, weight loss, or weight gain
- Fatigue and/or insomnia
- Sluggishness
- Fatigue or low vitality
- Low sense of worth, intense feelings of guilt, hopelessness, and possibly suicidal thoughts or behavior
- Poor concentration or indecisiveness
- Frequent negative thinking
Side Effects of Stopping Medication
Nerve cells are interconnected in the form of synapses, forming a neural network that transmits and receives messages by releasing neurotransmitters. Research has found that low concentrations of these neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, serotonin, or norepinephrine, may be related to depression. Therefore, the focus of treatment by Western medicine is to increase the concentration of neurotransmitters, specifically serotonin, between synapses to relieve symptoms.
It’s worth noting that the serotonin theory of depression has come under increasing doubt in recent years, including in a 2022 study published in Nature’s journal Molecular Psychiatry that largely discredited the link between serotonin and depression.
However, once you start treatment with such drugs, you cannot stop taking them at will. Ms. Chen said that whether it’s sleeping pills or anti-anxiety medications, they give the brain additional serotonin. However, if these drugs are stopped abruptly, the brain won’t have time to produce its own serotonin, and the mood may be affected and could even collapse altogether. This can cause adverse effects ranging from being unable to sleep through the night to becoming suicidal. Therefore, if you’re in the process of stopping psychiatric medication, it’s wise to support yourself with other means, such as acupuncture and exercise.
Discontinuing traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) doesn’t result in the same issues because the very concept of TCM is to restore balance from an unbalanced state with medicinal herbs. Apart from mood disorders, many people also suffer from sleep problems. When the quality of sleep isn’t good, the mood will plummet. Ms. Chen believes that the first step in treating depression is to cure sleep problems.
Resolve Sleep Issues to Treat Depression
Many people develop both depression and sleep problems because of the many stressors of life. Their brains keep spinning when it’s time to sleep. This is a sleep problem of the autonomic nervous system disorder type, and the solution starts with adjusting the autonomic nervous system.
There are two types of autonomic nerves—the sympathetic and parasympathetic—which are opposite in nature. The sympathetic nerve is like the accelerator, while the parasympathetic nerve acts like the brake. A good night’s sleep results from the optimal combination of both.
From the TCM perspective, the sympathetic nerve belongs to yang, and the parasympathetic nerve to yin. One can have a good night’s sleep only when yin and yang are balanced. The balance of yin and yang is the core of TCM theory and a primary condition for human health. Various physiological activities within the human body can be classified into yin and yang. When yin and yang are balanced, the body is healthy; conversely, an imbalance will cause diseases. Therefore, TCM emphasizes the balance of yin and yang as the key to good health.
Ms. Chen said that many Chinese medicinal herbs regulate the balance of yin and yang, such as Bupleurum and Cyperus decoction, Bupleurum ramuli cinnamon decoction, or Bupleurum and peony powder, which are all modulators that calm the sympathetic system and allow the parasympathetic function to work.
Of course, TCM also has several prescriptions that target sleeping, such as ginseng and ziziphus pills, sour jujube decoction, and Bupleurum and dragon bobe decoction, which all have the effect of stabilizing the brain. In addition, acupuncture can also balance the autonomic nerves. For example, huatuojiaji acupoints on both sides of the bladder meridian (Hair Clip EX-B2) are the sympathetic nerve chains of the autonomic nervous system. Massage or acupuncture on these points effectively adjusts the autonomic nervous system.
Tight muscles can also lead to poor sleep quality. When you feel too much tension in your body, you can use a comb to massage your scalp before bed to loosen the muscles and increase blood flow to the brain, improving sleep quality. However, to improve depression and insomnia, Ms. Chen’s favorite option is exercise.
She said that many successful business people (including late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs) maintain regular exercise habits to train their bodies while freeing their brains from work. With a change in environment or mindset change, inspirations and solutions can sometimes emerge while one exercises. At the same time, exercise is proven to improve mood, helping you sleep better at night and reducing your susceptibility to depression.
3 Tips for Fighting Depression
As someone who loves sports, I find that in the process of exercise, not only do distracting thoughts clear out and my will to overcome difficulties strengthens, but solutions to problems tend to emerge unintentionally. In addition to exercise, here are three more tips for fighting depression.
1. Know the Subtle Signs
The liver meridians exercise circulation from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. The liver regulates the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves. In other words, if you aren’t resting when you should be, something is disrupting the liver meridians. If I wake up at 3 a.m., I see that as the first indicator that I am worried or upset.
The liver referred to in TCM is more than just the organ; it also includes the parts where the liver meridians circulate. The liver system also governs the reproductive, autonomic nervous, emotional, and endocrine systems.
2. Analyze the Likely Sources of Emotions
Depression is intrinsically tied to emotions. Find out what’s upsetting you and analyze why it makes you worried and irritable. I practice the spiritual discipline Falun Gong, which I think is immensely useful in helping me analyze my emotions rationally.
For example, some of these feelings may include jealousy of others being better than me, competitiveness that turns aggressive, complaints about my boss, fear of being deceived, and fear of “losing out” when not realizing my full potential at work. Emotions such as these can make people feel depressed and upset. Once we understand the source of these emotions, we can take appropriate countermeasures.
3. Realize That Some Things Can’t Be Changed
My mother often told me during childhood, “Try your best and believe in fate.” That means one needs to work hard, but if you still fail to achieve what you want, it may be less your fault and more that destiny is at work.
Therefore, it’s essential to distinguish what you can change from what you cannot. You can only get through the things that can’t be changed by letting them go. Of course, letting go isn’t easy, so through exercise, cultivating relationships, and being active, you can break away from the inhibiting space controlling your emotions and visualize the problem more clearly.
Some of the medicinal herbs mentioned above may sound unfamiliar, but many can be found in Asian grocery and health food stores. However, consult a professional physician for specific treatment plans since everyone’s body constitution differs.
Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Epoch Health welcomes professional discussion and friendly debate. To submit an opinion piece, please follow these guidelines and submit through our form here.