Acupuncture to activate relaxation

Acupuncture is used frequently and with good effect to treat the entire range of mental health issues including depression and anxiety. I cannot imagine that with a good acupuncturist and perhaps some Chinese herbal formulas that you will not improve. Certainly western herbs like Chamomile, etc. are very limited in their use (in my opinion) particularly when compared to Chinese formulas which have been built up by generations of masters for hundreds and in some cases thousands of years. While it is difficult to comment on what other people were trying to accomplish without knowing your whole case I do wonder whether the Ginseng and Astragalus formula (or Ren Shen Huang Qi San) was correct for you - it is generally best for people who are extremely run down with strong bodily weakness, spontaneous sweating, etc.

If I were you I would read through our sections on anxiety and depression. Certainly you should be able to meditate with practice and if you cannot simply sit still for 20 minutes or so you should be able to after proper treatment. After things get better in balance you can work with meditation, tai chi, whatever to help keep you balanced over time.

Basically within Chinese Medicine there are about 4 primary ways to get depression and a few more to have anxiety so proper diagnosis within Chinese Medicine is key - rather than a catch all medication or western formula.

LI 4 with LV 3 is something called the four gates and is best used with acupuncture (together at the same time) than with acupressure. Furthermore they will work best if you have a particular TCM pattern (LV Qi Stagnation specifically and some others). It will be best to first see an acupuncturist, get properly diagnosed, then ask them what points are good for you specifically to use with acupressure.

With regards to massage, they are very complementary.

The heavy feeling you are describing is often attributed to dampness from long term spleen qi deficiency most likely. Again your acupuncturist will be able to go through your entire medical history, physically inspect you, check your tongue, pulse, etc. all of which helps them to come to a clear diagnosis of what is underlying your issues. Once you have a clear pattern all of these questions become much easier to discuss.

Thank you Mr. Dupuis. I&#39ll go ahead and take a look around the forums you mentioned. As for the red ginseng and astragalus, I think I remember the Chinese acupuncturist telling me that they were supposed to increase my energy and tolerance to stress. Now that I&#39m thinking the real issue is to return my body back to a relaxed state, I think I&#39ll pay him a visit to try some relaxing herbs he could recommend to me. I haven&#39t had much experience with Chinese formulas so maybe they would work for me. I&#39ve decided that I no longer want to be under the care of my psychiatrist and am in the middle of tapering off my useless medications. I&#39ll keep everyone updated on how the progress is going.

Just asked my acupuncturist yesterday what she thinks is affecting me in acupuncture terms and she said that I indeed have a spleen chi deficiency and blood stagnation. She also said something about water retention (I think that it fluctuates). I always thought that my blood wasn&#39t circulating very well since I didn&#39t feel like it was circulating normally throughout my body. Parts of my body such as my fingers, arms, and legs felt a little enlarged or rather there was some sort of internal pressure but thought that it might&#39ve been crazy to say if I suggested it to a doctor. In fact, it feels so much like stiffness that I think I&#39ve been confusing the 2 all this time. Anyway, my acupuncturist recommended that I exercise to keep the blood flowing.

I will also be taking an herbal product called True Man&#39s "Peaceful Mind" to see if it&#39ll help with my insomnia. I forgot to ask the herbalist if it was safe to take with antidepressants so I&#39ve emailed the company but no response yet. Crossing my fingers to see if this formula will work.

I&#39m so far I&#39m liking the results of the acupuncture and am glad that I followed my instincts when I left my psychiatrist.

Thanks, Mr. Mei. I tried your suggestion and there doesn&#39t seem to be any negative interactions. I&#39m almost done tapering off of the medication and I can&#39t wait to finally be off of it. My herbalist told me that a few people take up to 5 capsules of Peaceful Mind but a number of people take 2 to 3. I have been taking 3 but it doesn&#39t seem to be working. Perhaps be I need to give it more time.

By the way, the talk therapist my psychiatrist recommended me to last week tested to see if I had depression. Based on my answers, he told me I certainly don&#39t have depression! I also asked my acupuncturist to further explain the condition that&#39s been affecting me and she said that I have a cold/damp spleen chi deficiency with blood stagnation.