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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by honeybee on February 24, 2006, at 14:02:44
I'm getting acupuncture now (twice a week) and it's really helping me. Was on one formula (Sheng Mai San) and then they switched me to another (Xioa Yao San). This is all I'm on, plus SAM-e (800 mg), fish oil and Evening Prim. oil, and and B-complex. If anyone has some experiences that they can share, I'd be grateful. I'm surprised at how well it's working. When I leave my treatments, I without a doubt, feel a million times better. I know that there's a release of endorphins, but my asthma has improved, and I'm holding my own despite nearly breaking down and begging for my husband to take me to a psychiatric hospital last December. I'd love to hear if others are using it as an adjunctive or primary treatment for their depression (or anything else, really).
Thanks,
hb
Posted by teejay on February 24, 2006, at 20:31:05
In reply to Acupuncture and Chinese Herbals, posted by honeybee on February 24, 2006, at 14:02:44
Hi honeybee,
accupuncture is often touted as a good treatment for pain, but in my opinion depression is merely mental pain and as such accupuncture should work nicely for some people.
As with all things though, not all things work for everyone, but if it works for you (its worked for me for other things but i've not yet tried it for depression) then keep on using it as you've obviously found the right treatment for you..........thats a very important point as we are all individuals and as such each of us will respond to different treatments.
Glad its helped pull you out of a hole anyway, thats great news.
TJ
Posted by honeybee on February 27, 2006, at 11:21:13
In reply to Re: Acupuncture and Chinese Herbals, posted by teejay on February 24, 2006, at 20:31:05
Hi, TJ,
Thanks for the vote of confidence. I'm pretty impressed with the results so far, though it's very very easy for me to be impatient and want to be cavorting merrily in the fields within minutes (metaphorically, of course). The theory goes that it's not an overnight solution and the people who are working on me are responding to the changing landscape of my body/mind in ways that I've not noticed prior to this in a traditional Western medical setting. Someone, at least, is paying attention and that in and of itself is therapeutic--as is taking an herbal combination with the delicious name "Free and Easy Wanderer." Big pharma take note! Maybe a change in your med naming policy is in order...
Grin.
Posted by Declan on March 3, 2006, at 17:35:39
In reply to Re: Acupuncture and Chinese Herbals, posted by honeybee on February 27, 2006, at 11:21:13
Hi Honeybee and TJ
I have accupuncure and chinese herbs for insomnia (sleep maintenance), depression, anxiety, and sinus, and that sounds a bit like you, HB. After a treatment I feel much better, and the herbs help, but boy, sometimes I wish I could have 2 treatments a week, and lately the sinus thing has been awful. I suspect, but don't know, that depression may be harder to shift than anxiety. It compares very well to Periactin or mirtazepine for sleep maintenance. You don't feel dreadful when you wake up.
Declan
Posted by honeybee on March 6, 2006, at 13:25:28
In reply to Re: Acupuncture and Chinese Herbals, posted by Declan on March 3, 2006, at 17:35:39
Declan,
I thought that I'd posted a longish follow-up to your reply, but apparently, the computer gobbled it, encouraging me to practice some good and healthy buddhist nonattachment.
So, here we go again!
Turns, out, Declan, that we might be the same person, aside from the insomnia. My sinuses are insane, right now, (they're seriously bypassing my brain for first place in dysfunction right about now, and it's not even the time of year when I can conveniently blame my stuffiness on something like "ragweed"--which I'm apparently not really allergic to--or honey locust pollen--which I am). The acupuncture has already walloped my lung function into line, and it's helping my depression.
As for the frequency, has your acupuncturist prescribed herbs? A good friend of mine was doing acupuncture on me and, while it was helping initially (1-2x per week), it wasn't "sticking." A lot of times, acupuncturists marshall up the herbs at that point, to help continue the benefits of the treatments. It's been what seems to me to be an arduous and long process, but the depression really is lifting and I'm feeling a lot healthier than I was.
Anyway, I'd love to hear more about what kind of acupuncture you do and how long you've been doing it...
p.s. Another thought. I go to one person once a week and then to a teaching college (at 35 bucks a pop) another day a week. If you live in New York, I really recommend Pacific or Tristate. They're both excellent, and going to the teaching college really cuts costs.
Posted by Declan on March 9, 2006, at 1:54:39
In reply to Re: Acupuncture and Chinese Herbals, posted by honeybee on March 6, 2006, at 13:25:28
Hi Honeybee
Without chinese herbs, which I take all the time, my sinuses would be better not described. With chinese herbs it's bearable. I've got a high IgE (Immunoglobulin E, a marker of allergies), but what causes that? Drugs haven't helped, in the sense that toxicity doesn't. Alcohol's no good for them. There's the leaky gut syndrome, as an idea for treatment. Just recently it all flared up again, and I needed a basket of stuff to maintain drainage and get rid of infection. I took olive leaf, bromhexine, Sudafed, inhalation, neti pot, the chinese herbs, some sprays. It's all very high maintenance. I have accupuncture once a month and the herbs all the time. I sometimes don't think they do much, but when I stop them I realise how much they do to keep my sinuses bearable. Funny how many people here have sinus problems, hey.
Declan
Posted by honeybee on March 9, 2006, at 9:03:12
In reply to Re: Acupuncture and Chinese Herbals » honeybee, posted by Declan on March 9, 2006, at 1:54:39
Yeah, having to rely on your mouth to breathe doesn't really help the parasympathetic nervous system do it's thing...
What kinds of points to they work on, Declan? I feel like my sinuses have actually gotten more stuffy since I've started while they move things around. My breathing has gotten lots better, though. I often feel like I don't need to use my maintenance puffer--and maybe that will happen someday soon. Who knows?
Do you have them work on your mood at all? Just curious if they've thought to address that, or if it's strictly sinuses that you go to them for...
hb
Posted by Declan on March 17, 2006, at 0:55:41
In reply to Re: Acupuncture and Chinese Herbals, posted by honeybee on March 9, 2006, at 9:03:12
Hi HB
Mood is quite easily affected for me by accupuncture. I often go to sleep during it and feel much better after it. Much calmer. But not for very long!!
I wonder if it would work so well for depression.
I've no idea what points are used. There's one between my eyebrows that's always used though. My diagnosis is spleen deficiency, I think. My liver is probably not up to scratch either.
But insomnia has not improved, and my sinuses are often bad.
My IgE is high and there's no sure way of lowering it, although eating well, avoiding allergens, toxicity, and all drugs, chemicals etc is probably the way to go.
Declan
Posted by honeybee on March 17, 2006, at 9:11:18
In reply to Re: Acupuncture and Chinese Herbals » honeybee, posted by Declan on March 17, 2006, at 0:55:41
Wow, Declan,
I have no idea if my IgE is high, though I'm positive that my body is hyper-sensitive and often gets inflamed by aggressive substances that I breathe in. Not so affected, as far as I can tell, by food allergies, and decided to do an experiment myself with dairy and wheat. So many people blame these as the number one allergy offenders and, who knows?, maybe I'll discover at some point that I really am allergic to them. No dice, though, on the experiment. I cut them out of my diet and then ate them again, and bingo! Nothing happened.
More on topic. I think that spleen deficiency is pretty common in mood disorders, according to TCM, along with liver issues. And I hear you. I always sleep beautifully after my treatments and feel so much better--but they don't tend to hold as long as I want. One thing I might suggest, though, is doing some acupressure, too. (Ask your acupuncturist which points might be useful for you to press on when you're not there, either for breathing, sinus issues, or insomnia.) There's also a book, Acupressure by Emotional Healing, by Michael Reed Gach and Beth Ann Henning, that outlines several acupressure self care routines. That point between your eyebrows (third eye), is a good one for worrying, anxiety, and overthinking. (I think I should be pressing on it all day!) And there are two points, just at the ridge of your upper eye sockets, beneath your eyebrows, that are *amazing* for clearing out sinus congestion.
I'd love to hear more about your experiences--how long you've been getting treated, if you think that *any of it* is working...
hb
Posted by LynneDa on April 24, 2006, at 15:13:32
In reply to Re: Acupuncture and Chinese Herbals, posted by honeybee on March 17, 2006, at 9:11:18
Hi! I thought I'd chime in here as I was just looking for posts about acupuncture. I just started getting treatments about a month ago. I also receive chiropractic treatments. I think they are improving my energy levels immensely! I can actually find the energy to do things like visit with friends, little chores around the house I never felt I could do, etc. It's little stuff, but it adds up to an improved life overall!
I am on Zoloft and just started natural progesterone cream thinking maybe this will help straighten out my system, too. I'm 42 and my dx is depression related to perimenopause. My practitioner also provides TCM, so once he has my energy levels back up to an acceptable point, he will start that as I wean off of the Zoloft.
I have been on ADs for 3 or 4 years (lost track) and really want off! A friend of mine is using something called Tao of Life by Ron Teeguarden (sp?) at dragonherbs.com (herbal supplement). Anyone heard of it? He was able to get off ADs and has been pretty stable for about a year.
Thanks for any input!
~ Lynne
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