Has anyone had success with Chinese medicine or something other than western medicine

[tommy34]

So here is my rant. GPs are bullshit. They sit there listen to you tell them your depressed then hand you a bit of paper an your on your way. They don't know or care what you're feeling. Now I know this is a generalizations an probably a unfair one but that is my experience. So my question is, has anyone had any luck with traditional Chinese medicine? I have depression and anxiety. I have a short history of drugs, mainly occasional use and no habitual use. Any response is greatly appreciated.

 

[n3ophy7e]

Hey tommy, I'm going to move this over to Healthy Living because I think you will get a better reponse in there

 

[Legerity]

I tried acupuncture for several sessions and it seemed to have an immediate calming effect during the session (I would often fall asleep), but I did not keep going long-term so I can't say if it has any lasting effects.

You can also learn about acupressure points and do some of them yourself if you are able to properly locate them.

Naturopathic doctors can also be helpful. The ones I have seen do a full intake asking about history, family, relationships, mental health, etc. They are big on supplements though so it can end up very expensive to take everything that is recommended.

 

[Radone]

I did acupuncture/accupressure for TMJ and it worked wonders, within 4 sessions it was basically gone. I did 2 more sessions and then stopped going. No TMJ for about 6 months then it started coming back. Its been a year since I did accupuncture and my TMJ is back just as bad. So it did work but I guess you need to go back once in a while which I will be doing here shortly.

 

[effingcustie]

You might want to look into homeopathy. It is a 100% natural system of medicine that takes into account all aspects of health - physical, mental, emotional, etc (without going too into detail, look it up if you're interested).

 

[belarki]

I'm pretty open minded in general but am also a little wary of chinese/alternative medicines when I see articles like like popping up occasionally: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/health/8232119/concerns-raised-over-alternative-medicines

There are calls for tighter regulation of alternative medicines, including Chinese herbal remedies, after a 75-year-old Australian man fell seriously ill.

He developed renal failure after taking a herbal product later found to contain aristolochic acid, a known nephrotoxin and carcinogen, Flinders Medical Centre's Winnie Chau says.

 

[|>R()|)!G/-\|_]

I would say that oriental medicine is legit but only when working with a highly trained practitioner. It is much more than mixing up herbs. It normally includes nutritional/dietary regimens, acupuncture, massage, and then some herbal formulas if the former are ineffective.

Diagnoses can be done using western diagnostic tests ranging from bloodwork, urinalyses, and stool samples but also often includes eastern techniques like reading pulse and tongue. From what I understand, reading pulse doesn't just check rate. It checks rhythm, thickness, consistency, and differential between various pulse points. I don't know how that helps with diagnoses though. Those trained in oriental medicine can also read the tongue by looking at things like color, texture, shape, etc... I am not formally trained in oriental medicine so can't tell you much about that either but I have a sense that the extended diagnostic techniques provide means to make a more accurate and effective diagnoses.

What I can tell you is that it worked for me. Instead of simply treating symptoms, it determined the root cause of the illness or abnormality and addressed it, thereby eliminating recurrences. In my experience, I sought out a functional east-west practitioner after recurring bouts of prostatitis that traditional western medicine failed to help with. The western approach was simply prescribing antibiotics. That method was an abject failure and even an insult once I found that the urologist prescribed antibiotics each time despite my UA bacterial culture coming back negative for anything! The antibiotics caused terrible side effects that the urologist then denied being associated with the antibiotic in the first place! Add to that, that the extended period of time for which I took antibiotics destroyed good bacteria, weakened my immune system, invited new infections, and caused add'l digestive issues.

I came off the antibiotics, started a probiotic regimen, changed my diet, sought acupuncture, used herbal anti-inflammatories like pumpkin seed, dandelion, and purslane and am much more comfortable physicall and mentally.

Bear in mind that this is only my experience. I am not formally trained in oriental medicine so cannot voich for its efficacy in treating other ailments but am convinced 110% that for many conditions it is a safer and more effective alternative to traditional western medicine if done by a licensed, trained practitioner of eastern medicine. The other reassurance is that oriental medicine has been practiced and perfected over thousands of years compared to the relatively short time western medicine has.

 

[tiggerific]

when my mum was alive she used accupunture for stopping smoking, which worked, then she used it to lose weight, again it worked. I also know of a few others who have used accupunture to stop smoking and all with success.
I think it also depends on how determined you are as well to stop, or change or whatever it may be.
Make sure who ever you go to is qualified and has certificates of insurance just in case anything does happen to go wrong.

 

[TJ5]

In 1995 I went for accupuncture treatments for 4 months for migraine headaches
so severe that I ended up completely incompacitated if I didnt have access to SOMETHING
to stop the pain. The first time I went during a migraine, I was VERY happy to have complete
relief about an hour or less after the treatment. He did tongue reading too, said I have
circulation problem, not terribly serious. He gave me white herb in a vial that was to be
taken an hr after each meal. He barely spoke English, so was unable to get the exact how's
and whys this treatment works.

In my case, if I went to him during an attack, the pain DID leave every time. Paying $40
a treatment 3 x wk got expensive though, and I was bummed they didnt stop the migraines
completely. Finances forced me to stop going after 4 months, however interestingly enough,
about 7 months after I quit going they simply stopped bothering me! It couldnt have
come at a better time as I had been through a homeless, no job, no car, no money period
and had the attacks continued, Id of been fucked. They were gone the attacks for 3 or so
years completely before they started up again, to this day only half the intensity and length
as back before 1995.

I talked to one accupuncturist recently and she said they got way more advanced and
they could treat migraines, my ADD, and chronic fatigue I got ever since taking Tramadol
that I took not knowing it was also an anti depressant. That messed me up, but she said
they only need ten sessions. If I could pay, hell yes Id go. Make sure they have an actual
licence. The ones I wrote about were trained in China. They worked for me.

 

[PwnX]

Alternative "medicine" is quackery.

Just because many doctors are rubbish, does not mean that "western medicine" is bad. It's the only form of medicine that questions itself and uses the scientific method to determine which treatments actually work. It's not always correct, but correction of those mistakes is called "progress", and it's constantly progressing.

 

[rm-rf]

yes people have had success with TCM. in fact, billions of people over the course of 6,000 years have had success with TCM.

Monday night I had to get stitches on my forehead, and sprained both joints in my finger (which was swollen purple and about 3x as fat as the other fingers). Today the color is uniform, and the finger swelling has gone down to just being 1.5x its normal size, and i have full range of motion. Grip isnt better yet, but I can type just fine. My head now just looks like a scraping, cant even tell stitches were in there. These are far from the first wounds TCM has healed for me.

(mostly been taking frakensense and myhrr resins, with a mix of dragons blood and a concoction of all sorts of things i cant pronounce, and a prescribed diet of cooked foods (physician knows i mostly eat raw, cant do that this week )).

ill be using this fist in a tournament in 2 days. ill be fine.

western medicine would have given me painkillers toxic to my body. also, id have my finger in a brace, so that the congealed mass of material used to reform my connective tissue and joint damage would adhere to the inside of the joint, giving me arthritis in about 20 years, while limiting my range of motion after the finger healed. i also would have sat in a hospital for about 6 hours, and had to go back, and would have cost me thousands of dollars. the TCM method to heal my head and finger cost about $30.

 

[muvolution]

Acupuncture is fucking awesome. I can't even begin to describe how useful it is to every aspect of life. Combined with a healthy diet and exercise... well, it can't get much better.

 

[slimvictor]

Anyone who makes blanket statements about "alternative medicine" is clearly undereducated.
There are dozens or hundreds of kinds of alternative medicines, and some work while others don't.
To make it more complex, some might work for me, but not for you, etc.

Overall, I have had good success with herbs. I have avoided going to a GP for nearly 2 decades by taking appropriate herbs when necessary (and, probably, a bit of luck). I educated myself, slowly but surely, and learned what works for me.

For example, when I feel a scratchy throat, and know I am starting to get sick, I exercise so that I sweat for 45 minutes or more, then drink at least a liter (2 is better) of strong ginger tea made with fresh ginger. In this way, I can avoid 4 out of 5 colds that almost would have gotten me.

When I got tendinitis in my elbow, it was horribly painful. I made an appointment with a doc, but had to wait for 3 days. I couldn't move my arm at all. In that time, I coincidentally ate salmon, hemp seeds, and drank ginger tea. By the time I arrived at the doc's office, the pain was gone, and I could move my arm freely. Doc was stumped. I later looked it up, and found that those three foods are all very anti-inflammatory. Whoda thunk? Probably saved me from getting some steroid that could have messed up my body. (Even later, when I went to a naturopath, she recommended salmon and ginger for tendonitis. )

Taking your own health into your own hands is the single biggest thing you can do to get on the path of health.

 

[thujone]

^ Truth. Where do you think the best medicine came from? Now how exactly is natural medicine alternative medicine when it's the original and pharmaceuticals are the synthetic copy?

tommy34: believe you me, medicine is not the cure for anxiety and depression. Drugs can't fix what ain't broken. You feel like this now but as you set goals to improve your life and work to conquer them and set higher goals to make a run at your mind will adapt to the changing environment and happiness will develop as your sense of self strengthens.

 

[muvolution]

The combination of Eastern and Western medicine is certainly greater than the sum of its parts.

 

[PwnX]

medicine is not the cure for anxiety and depression. Drugs can't fix what ain't broken. You feel like this now but as you set goals to improve your life and work to conquer them and set higher goals to make a run at your mind will adapt to the changing environment and happiness will develop as your sense of self strengthens.

Depression and anxiety can be genetic/neurological, thus having no cure, just treatments to mask them. This usually isn't the case, but it's still true and possible. Just because the "serotonin imbalance" idiocy they marketed SSRIs with is made up, doesn't change the fact that mental disorders aren't always "all in your head".

 

[PROZ4C]

Depression and anxiety can be genetic/neurological, thus having no cure, just treatments to mask them. This usually isn't the case, but it's still true and possible. Just because the "serotonin imbalance" idiocy they marketed SSRIs with is made up, doesn't change the fact that mental disorders aren't always "all in your head".

Your brain chemistry reflects your thoughts and actions.

Not the other way around.

Now you can use drugs to TEMPORARILY induce states of happiness.

This is a great tool, it can allow individuals to break through barriers in therapy and create changes in their life climbing them out of their downward spiral.

If you try to use drugs to fix depression, in the long run all your brain is going to do is adapt to the drugs and you will find yourself back where you started only with a brain that has adapted to the intake of a drug.

Anti-depressants are a jump start, a nudge, a guide to be used along with therapy and lifestyle change.

If only it were so easy to medicate long run with a pill, sorry, the brain doesn't and will never work that way....

You must fix your unhealthy MIND! (nothing more than breaking out of the habit of reoccurring negative thought patterns)

That is the ONLY way to beat "Depression"...

Now if your brain is unable to produce proper neurotransmitters or other necessary chemicals to "feel good" than than you are not depressed but experiencing a side effect of malnutrition.