Depression has been described as a chemical imbalance. Acupuncture has been restoring balance to bodily processes for 5,000 years. Acupuncture treatment for depression seems like a no-brainer. Just think about it. What is the one area of medicine known for its scientific shortcomings? If you guessed psychiatry, then you win the prize. Even the most accomplished psychiatrists will concede that the field is a blend of art and science. Their patients will be even quicker to regale you with stories about the failures of anti-depressants or the shortcomings of psychotherapy. If you read Top Ten Benefits of Acupuncture to Improve Your Life, you would know that acupuncture can help alleviate many issues including Acupuncture! Perhaps, after reading this, such individuals will be left with at least three hopeful things to say about acupuncture.
Acupuncture promotes blood flow. According to a study reported in the August 14, 2007 Society of Nuclear Medicine, depressed individuals have impaired cerebral blood flow. A link has been established between alleviated depression symptoms and increased cerebral blood flow. More blood to the brain equals more oxygen to the brain. Conversely, older methods of depression treatment such as electroconvulsive therapy have already been proven to cause deterioration in cerebral blood flow. When compared to having electric shocks applied to one’s skull, a few small acupuncture needles on arms and legs no longer seem invasive. Speaking of blood flow, depression has been known to necessitate drugs such as Viagra and Cialis to increase blood flow to a certain area of the body. It should come as no surprise that acupuncture’s propensity for promoting blood flow has had similar success with aiding and improving sexual performance.
Acupuncture Boosts The Immune System
In a paper entitled Evidence For An Immune Response In Major Depression: A Review And Hypothesis, Michael Maes of the University Hospitals of Cleveland’s Department of Psychiatry, goes to great lengths to link brain function to immune system response and thus, to resistance to physical illness. According to Maes, depression is accompanied by immunosuppression, which is exactly what it sounds like. Follow the logic through and the conclusion is that depression can lead to physical illness. How does acupuncture make a difference? Acupuncture creates micro-traumas that initiate the body’s immune response. This means that it creates inflammations so small that they cannot be felt. They do, however, trigger the cell activity that depression tends to inhibit.
Acupuncture Relieves Muscle Tension
Rather than get into a discussion regarding physical and mental symptoms, why don’t we acknowledge that depression is not a disease of the mind but of the brain? Since the brain is one of your body’s organs, wouldn’t depression be a physical illness? When you consider that muscle tension and aches are common symptoms of depression, it should be even easier to consider. Acupuncture relaxes short, tight muscles, thus relieving pressure on joints. Study researcher Robert D. Keeley, MD, of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, suggests that when physical illness occurs with no apparent reason, depression is a likely culprit.
Acupuncture Gives Great Hugs
Hugs are the best. The right hug at the right moment can be remembered for the rest of one’s life. Did you know that we release a hormone when someone we love gives us a hug? It’s called oxytocin. Do you know what else releases oxytocin? That’s right, the release of oxytocin is yet another effect of acupuncture treatment. It is quite hard to imagine a simulated hug being any less welcome than any other kind of hug, especially to those suffering from depression.
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