Natural Treatment for Anxiety and More
I was recently doing a diagnostic session with a new patient whose main complaints are depression, anxiety, frustration and insomnia. The patient’s tongue is bright red,
the liver area is peeled, the tip is peeled and it is dry. The pulses are wiry and flooding. As I inquired into the history I found about a nine year long intense anger at an ex-spouse.
Looking at the whole picture I can understand the symptoms: red and peeled tongue tip often = heart heat and heart yin deficiency which often = anxiety attacks and
insomnia. Red, peeled liver area and wiry pulse often = liver constraint, liver yin deficiency , liver heat which often = frustration, depression and insomnia. Bright red, dry
and bounding pulses which often = heat burning off the fluids which often = yin deficiency which often = anxiety, frustration and insomnia.
All of the outstanding symptoms can be treated superficially and with possible undesirable side effects and outcomes with anti-depressants, anti-anxieties and sleep
meds. The symptoms and pathology can also be treated with acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine to dissipate the heat, constraint and rebuild the heart and liver
yin.
However, I contend that the underlying cause has not been addressed in either of the treatment modalities. The underlying cause is actually the the years of intense
anger. The intense (hot) anger is underlying the heat thus the liver and heart heat and yin deficiency thus the anxiety, depression and insomnia.
My first phase of treatment was to explain the role of the anger in the pathology and subsequent symptoms. Then we talked about possible techniques for eliminating the
anger and how we can use Chinese medicine to re-establish the integrity of the body, mind and spirit.
My patient now indicates new hope and joy that hasn’t been present for years.
My next blog will dig deeper into the necessity of changing our emotional responses to events in life to live healthy and fully.
