Treating Depression with Traditional Chinese Medicine

Depression is not a disease. It is a sign of psycho-emotional distress which is manifesting physically in the body. Because Chinese medicine, as a holistic therapeutic medical system, honors the mind body-spirit connection, Acupuncture and Chinese herbal formulations is extremely effective in dealing with this condition. Chinese medicine places a great deal of emphasis on understanding the relationship between what happens on the inside and the outside ( Yin-Yang theory ). Seen through the lens of natural medicine, emotional disorders and physical ailments are in fact two sides of the same coin.

Depression According to Traditional Chinese Medicine Paradigm

As a native Cantonese speaker, I was racking my brain trying to figure out what is the Chinese word or phrase for depression. Colloquially, no such word exists in the language. The phrase which comes closest to denoting that meaning translates into something like “ dis-spirited “. Spirit ( Shen in Chinese ) is a very important concept not only in Chinese medicine but in the broader context of Chinese culture at large. From Traditional Chinese Medicine point of view, Spirit/Shen is stored in the heart and if the heart experiences turbulence or internal turmoil, spirit becomes disturbed and results in dysregulated emotions.

Historically, the concept of depression in China is more aligned with the concept of melancholy. A person suffering from melancholia is said to feel dejected, downcast and dis-spirited. As illustrated above, clearly the attention is focused primarily on how the mood of the individual is affected by the state of his heart. In contrast, Western medicine offers a more myopic view of depression focusing on neuro-psychiatric disorder and brain function depletion caused by dopamine and serotonin imbalance. In this way, depression is regarded more as a mental health and brain chemistry issue.

Liver Organ and Meridian: Key to Unlocking the Psycho-somatic Puzzle

In traditional Chinese culture, dysregulated emotion was rarely considered a disease. At most, it was considered as a sign or symptom. In the context of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Liver organ and meridian bridges the gap between the dichotomy of mind ( psycho ) and body ( soma ). Chinese medicine states that each internal organ is associated with regulating specific emotions. Liver organ is connected to depression, anxiety, and anger. According to channel theory in Chinese medicine, the way to access the Liver organ is via the Liver meridian. Hence, it is often said in Chinese medicine that depression is caused by an imbalance of the Liver channel. Liver meridian/channel has the function of regulating the smooth flow of chi/energy and blood. When this function becomes dysregulated, it obstructs the energetic pathway and results in blocked energy which is all tied up ( knotted chi ). In essence, this is the energetic imbalance taking place internally along the Liver meridian which manifests outwardly as depression. This is particularly true for females during menstruation. The hormonal changes further aggravates the energetic imbalance resulting in a constellation of symptoms, all categorically put under the term PMS.

Restoring Balance to Remedy Depression

Depression is not only in your head. It exists multi-dimensionally in your body-mind-spirit. As a holistic medical system, Traditional Chinese Medicine offers a big enough container to hold these seemingly disparate parts of the individual and come together to treat depression in an integrative way. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal remedies is an excellent choice to help restore balance in a way that addresses the underlying causes of depression.