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Originally Posted by Lillian Terry
I would like to try a natural treatment for my depression. I have been diagnosed two years ago and I want to decrease my medications. I don't like the idea of relying on drugs to help me in this ordeal. Is acupuncture a good choice?
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I am sorry to hear about your depression. I have used Acupuncture to treat severe blunt trauma injury. I was a competitive athlete in my youth, and a soldier for 10+ years, many of the injuries I suffered came back to haunt me as I got older. Please note that I am not attempting to provide you with medical advice, but merely responding to your post.
After a severe bicycle related accident in 2012, my neurosurgeon recommended a cervical fusion (neck). Understanding the complexities of this type of surgery (based upon my profession), and the recovery period, with the associated dangers of incurring chronic pain for the rest of my life, I decided against the fusion.
Basically, I changed everything in my life, as I was severely depressed, and I truly understand just how difficult it is to pull yourself out of that very dark place, so I empathize with you. With respect to my neck pain, I started seeing an Acupuncturist, 1 to 2 times a week. I can state objectively, that it helped me. Here's the strange part, my depression slowly lifted over a period of many months. Can I attribute this solely to the acupuncture? Probably not, as during this period I decided to change everything in my life except for my job.
Acupuncture is not painful at all, and a side effect is that you are forced to lie still during the treatment. My Acupuncturist has a very simple and basic office, the treatment area is in semi darkness and very quiet. This environment allowed me to fully relax, something I had a great deal of difficulty with at the time (and still do). It was so peaceful and the feeling of being "refreshed" upon departing was something new and wonderful for me. I dismissed it during the first few visits as placebo, but it slowly dawned on me that this was a side effect of the therapy. Read more here:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog...ion-yes-please
I also learned during this period that really only 20% of the work required to overcome depression is done in the Therapist's office, I had to do 80% of the work at home. This is when I decided to change everything. I started with diet and decided on a "lifestyle diet - No Sugar, No Grains or NSNG (Google it). I changed my training regimen, I had stopped working out completely, this from a competitive triathlete, Ironman competitor etc, etc... I also did the work on my mental state at home, this is where it becomes tricky, this is very, very hard to accomplish. In the USA, patients want a pill to fix problems, and IMHO, working with a Therapist and my Internal Medicine Physician, both very caring, smart and thoughtful people, we decided against meds. This is a personal choice, I am not trying to advise you, but if you spend time on the literature, meds are not the way to go to accomplish life-long mental health.
During the work, I stumbled on Brooke Castillo and follow her. What does Brooke do? She is a Life Coach and she really gets to the core of what we can control, and all we can really control are our thoughts - if you have 25 minutes listen to this:
https://thelifecoachschool.com/1/ This changed my life, as, fundamentally, I realized that the thoughts creating my depression were something I could change. She has a unique approach, her Podcasts are free, and also available on iTunes.
Why am I sharing this with you? I've seen others suffer from depression for years, stuck in the cycle of meds and therapy, with their lives on hold, so if I am able to share relevant information to help others, I will. Will these formulas work for you, I don't know. What is relevant is that
Acupuncture started it all for me, I was able to be in a relaxing and peaceful place, away from work, children, spouse and the rigors and stresses of daily life. It also felt great afterwards, a mental lift if you will think of it that way. It was the catalyst that moved me toward the "work". I say this as you will need several tools in your toolbox to beat this, not just one thing, for me the one I reach for the most is acupuncture, then the daily work using Brooke's formula, then the NSNG lifestyle diet combined with intermittent fasting, and adaptive physical training using Touchfit (
https://thelifecoachschool.com/1/).
I wish you well in your journey, and a speedy recovery!