Depression and anxiety are common conditions with seemingly more and more people suffering every day, affecting all aspects of life. Because depression can affect the personal life and professional life of an individual, it is important to seek treatment as soon as possible. Sometimes a few sessions with a counsellor can work, but other times a psychiatrist is necessary. If medical interventions such as prescription drugs are taken, these can cause side effects. People who have been taking anti-depressants for over five years tend to gain weight because the medications profoundly change the metabolism. They do feel relaxed but tend to crave sweets with their blood sugar levels on a rollercoaster. For the past 20 years, acupuncture and acupressure have become more popular because they can help people’s mental health and waistlines at the same time.
Acupressure and acupuncture can do the Work of Antidepressants without Side Effects
Studies have revealed that acupressure and acupuncture are very effective ways to help people to fight depression and treats the medication side effects such as indigestion, weight gain, and insomnia. Acupuncturists give lectures to teach people apply pressure to certain acupuncture points and unblock the energy, or “Qi”. It is important to remember that combining acupuncture and acupressure can help the body produce the “feel-good” hormones such as dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins much more efficiently than just going to Acupuncture Clinic once or twice a week. Inhaling and exhaling deeply can calm the body and mind, making the session more effective.
Alternative Medicine has many followers
It is now seen that people of all ages and with all kinds of ailments are seeking the help of practitioners of acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine. A point called the “grandfather-grandson” point is found as the thumb slides up the bone from inner edge of the ball of the foot up towards the top of the arch. This point relieves anxiety and depression because this area activates and relaxes the part of the brain which releases those “feel-good” hormones. To balance emotions, apply pressure where the arm meets the chest, called the “central treasury”. An Acupuncturist can teach the right acupressure points during an acupuncture session once or twice a week. After the initial 12 sessions of acupuncture, the patient can shift to a maintenance schedule of every other week or once a month, but at-home acupressure techniques can enhance the beneficial effects.
Why electrical acupuncture can help people fight anxiety and depression?
Electrical acupuncture has been used to help people with depression for 20 years. In 2017, a new study published in the Medical Science Monitor by Ding Luo et. al indicates that electro-acupuncture can modify the glutamatergic neurotransmission system to reduce the symptoms of major depressive disorders. According to this study, electro-acupuncture can be used to achieve an antidepressant effect by enhancing the function of the glial glutamate transporter EAAT2 in the hippocampus and pre-frontal cortex. It takes a slightly longer time for acupuncture to change the gene expression of the glutamate transporter EAAT2, which performs 90% of glutamate neurotransmission. When acupuncture is used treat depression, it is better to start two to three times a week to accumulate the anti-depressive effect, with more sessions necessary to modify the gene expression.