Acupuncture And Depression

by admin on October 11th, 2008

According to many western medical resources depression may be the response of the body to an overwhelming and constant stress that seems to the patient to be insurmountable. Regardless of the etiology of the depression, manyof western MDs diagnose the patient’s condition as a depression.

The Role Of Acupuncture

Acupuncture, when used or without Chinese herbs, can be a very effective alternative treatment for depression, anxiety, stress-induced fatigue and emotions swings resulting in long-term benefits. The difference with acupuncture and Chinese herbal treatment is that these treatments treat the root cause of the disease-the internal imbalance caused by the exposure to external stress. Such stress, if not treated, can cause energy “blockage” or changes of the neurotransmitters such as a decrease of brain concentration of the serotonin levels-resulting in symptoms such as anxiety, poor sleep, fatigue, and eventually, depression.

Some researchers are now leaning towards the theory that depression is physiological rather than psychological. The condition often comes about when the body lacks the necessary biochemical’s’ nutrients and vitamins to enable the mind and body to work in sync and thrive healthily.

A University of Arizona study on acupuncture and depression subjected a group 38 adults who were found to be experiencing bouts of depression ranging from the mild to the moderate stages. They all attended regular twice-weekly sessions lasting for 30 days’ with reducing frequency on the succeeding months. After the study period, more than half of those treated say that they experienced no less than half of the symptoms have been reduced, if not totally eliminated.

Conclusion

Acupuncture is considered a Natural and Safe Method of Treatment for Depression, Anxiety and Stress. Depression has been perceived as a condition caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. Acupuncture is based on balancing the body’s Chi or “life energy”, which regulates spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical balance.

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Clinical Depression Support Groups

by admin on September 27th, 2008

There are many people who experience brief bouts of depression in their daily lives. There are also people who can’t seem to shake off their depression moods at all. For those people, the feelings of depression can become any one of the chronic depression disorders that medical science knowns about. For depression to manifest itself as a disorder, the signs and symptoms must be present for a period that lasts longer than two to three weeks. Depression support groups can help these individuals regain control over their lives.

Did you know that there are a number of support groups for depression in the world? Your doctor or caregiver may have information regarding any groups located near your area. Besides the many organized support groups, your family and friends can also become one of your depression support groups.

The most important thing that clinical depression support groups provide is helping. They will encourage you to take one day at a time. They will help you understand that it is quite alright to break your daily large tasks into smaller manageable tasks. To establish that you do not crack under the strains of the day they will recommend you to set reasonable goals for you to accomplish.

With your life taken in small steps the depression support groups can prevent your falling back into chronic depression, because you may feel that you are a failure resulting from your inability to cope with all these things.

Many clinical depression support groups have help lines that are open right throughout the year. At these places, there will be someone who can provide more information about chronic depression as pamphlets and other documentation. The services that they provide are non - judgmental. They will assuredly keep any information that you tell them confidential.

While you may be unsure about talking to complete strangers about your problems, the people in these depression support groups are there only to provide you with whatever form of help you want. As they have heard the sufferings of other people, these individuals will not force you to snap out of your depression immediately.
Instead, the members of clinical depression support groups will be there to help you throughout your ordeal.

For a person who has been screened for chronic depression, having the help and support of depression support groups can prove to be a lifeline during their depressed state. The caring and non - judgmental attitudes of depression support groups will reinforce the notion that depression is curable and that the individual will have their lives back free from depression.

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Where Can You Find Relief From Depression?

by admin on September 24th, 2008

There are more causes of depression than most people think. Aside from the standard ones that everyone is aware of like hormone deficiencies, a diet heavy in omega-3 acids, seasonal changes in sunlight or ups and downs of bipolar disorder there are many other things that can cause a person to suffer from depression.

Bad experiences early in life can linger with a person for the rest of their days. Depending on how bad these events were they could cause a deep depression. These poor early experiences can include loss of a parent at an early age, sexual, physical or emotional abuse, neglect or even chronic illness as a child. Those who suffer such trying times in their early lives often have a battle with depression as the age. These same people, or others in society, may find that in their adult lives they have other demons to fight. Depression can also be caused by divorce; death of a child, partner, parent or close friend especially of this death was not an easy one. Loosing ones job, have a gambling, drug or alcohol problem can also cause a depressive period. Loneliness can be a terrible problem and definitely can cause a depressive episode. Sometimes the workplace is not a good one and the stress from that or of looking for a new job can be a depression trigger.

There are some medical conditions that by their terrible toll on the person’s physical condition can cause depression. Usually these are serious illnesses like cancer, hepatitis, or brain damage to name just a few. Often it is dealing with a serious medical condition that causes the depressing but it can sometimes be a side effect of the medications needed to combat them. Some medications that a person requires daily can be a trigger. This includes a very common medication that is taken by women the world over, birth control pills. A serious injury can also be a reason for a person to become depressed.

Alcohol finds itself in an odd place when it comes to discussing its place in a depressive episode. Researchers are not certain if the use of alcohol causes the depression or is it the depression that causes the use of alcohol. This goes for the use of tranquilizers, sleeping pills and illicit drugs as well. It remains unclear what the use of these mood enhancers is. Do they help the problem or cause the problem? Those suffering from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, also called PTSD, suffer because of some event or events that have occurred in their lives that they are unable to deal with. This disorder is often accompanied by feelings of depression.

Sadly, one trigger of a depressive episode is living with someone who is a depressive. The day to day anxiety, high maintenance care and daily disruption to a normal life has been known to cause the caregiver to become so overburdened, so stressed at the lack of normalcy that they too suffer an period of depression.

Learn more about Depression Treatment

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