Acupuncture and Mental Health
Acupuncture can play a unique role alongside other therapies in the treatment of mental and emotional disorders.
“The World Health Organization has recognized acupuncture as effective in treating mild to moderate depression.”
Mental health disorders are medical conditions that disrupt a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others, and daily functioning which result in a diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life. Acupuncture is growing as a complementary treatment to these problematic mental and emotional conditions.
Acupuncture is growing as a complementary treatment to problematic psychological and emotional conditions, which include, but are not limited to depression, insomnia, panic disorder, bipolar disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It is a powerful tool in helping a person’s inability to control and manage impulsive behaviors, and compelling need for various forms of stimulation i.e. sex, gambling, shopping, the internet, etc.
Research has demonstrated that acupuncture can influence the neuro-chemical pathways of the brain, in particular, the area involved in the mechanism responsible for reward and pleasure. It indirectly stimulates the same neurotransmitters involved in addiction, and can be utilized at different stages of treatment. Acupuncture raises the level of endorphins in the nervous system, reducing cravings and withdrawal symptoms, and creates a sense calmness, which encourages physical, emotional and spiritual healing.