Doctor Yu’s Clinical Notes V: Self-Treatment for Stress and Depression | 自我缓解压力和忧郁的办法
These days, several cancer patients came to our clinic. Among them was a good friend of us, a nice and beautiful European lady, who we have known for 11 years. She was diagnosed with liver cancer and intestine cancer. I am sure her condition has something to do stress. An immigrant and single mom of two kids---you can imagine what kind of stress she has been endured. The other patients were suffering from breast cancer, intestine cancer, and one even had breast cancer transferred to bone cancer.
My opinion is that all kinds of cancer have something to do with long term stress and depression. In clinical practice we have also seen that many other complicated diseases besides cancer are related to stress and depression, such as stroke, hypertension, heart disease, ankylosing spondylitis, etc.. Even common diseases like back pain, stomach pain, head pain, and insomnia are influenced by stress and depression.
In general, depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity. The common symptoms of depression are: feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, anger or irritability, various problems of insomnia, lack of energy and motivation, loss of interest in daily activities, reckless behavior etc..
Traditional Chinese Medicine has extensive studies of depression. According to TCM theory, depression is a source of many kinds of diseases: “If the qi and the blood is mixed in harmony, then there will be no disease, but once the depression comes, the harmony will be damaged and all disease may occur”.
According to my clinical experience, there are three acupuncture points that are useful to treat depression, and massaging these points are easy at home. The three points are:
1. Zu San Li---this point has been talked about extensively recently. It has very wide use including releasing depression r;
2.Tai Chong---this point is the primary point for the Liver channel. It is located at the concave section in front of the intersection of the first and second metatarsal bones;
3. Shen Men---Located on the wrist, at the concave section where the ulnar bone and the carpus bone intersect, besides the end of rasceta (transverse creases of the skin on the palmar surface of the wrist). This is a prime point for the heart channel, and can help to heal all kinds of insomnia, neurasthenia, bad memory, and dementia. This point has effect of soothing the mood.
The three points: Zu San Li, Tai Chong, Shen Men are all good for treatment of all kinds of depression, over-stress, insomnia, low-mood, and lack of energy, and there are no side effects so you can use this method all the time. Next time I will talk more about the Tai Chong point so you can know more about this point.
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这段时间，我们诊所里来了好几位癌症病人。其中有一位认识十一年的好友，是一位来自东欧的非常美丽善良的女士，被诊断患有肠癌、肝癌。我们认识这么多年，我可以肯定她的肿瘤一定跟她承受的压力有关。作为移民，她一个单亲妈妈，带着两个孩子在一个新的环境生活，受到的艰难可想而知。另外还有几位乳癌，肠癌，乳癌转移到骨癌的病人。
不管什么样的癌症病人，在我看来一定都会与精神压力和长期忧郁有关。在临床上，大多数的疑难病症都会与压力和忧郁有直接的关系。如高血压、中风、心脏病、类风湿、强直脊柱炎、癌症等，甚至平常的腰痛、胃痛、头痛、失眠等都与压力和忧郁有关系。
什么是忧郁症的突出表现呢？就是各种原因导致的显著而持久的心情低落。具体可表现为几个方面：1.忧： 情绪低落，心情压抑；2.虑：多思多虑，焦虑不安，胡思乱想，常有自责心态，因此不易入睡或睡中惊醒等失眠现象；3.自责：无原因的疲乏无力，自觉懒散无能；4.呆：动作减少，思维迟钝，记忆力下降；5.变：性格剧变，同以前判若两人。
中医对忧郁症的认识很深刻。忧郁症是多种疾病的源泉，正所谓：“气血冲合，百病不生；一有怫郁，百病生焉。”在治疗方面，中医也有丰富的经验。根据我的临床经验，有三个穴位非常有用。可以在家里长期自我按摩：
1.足三里：这个穴位我们以前的文章中有过很多讨论，它的作用很全面，是必选之穴；
2.太冲：肝经的原穴，位于足背上第一第二跖骨结合部前方凹陷处，肝脏在中医理论里，是一个调节全身气机的总要脏器。对于任何肝脏的问题或情绪上的问题，此穴位都有重要作用；
3.神门：位于腕部，腕掌横纹尺侧，我们可以摸到一块小骨头，在这个小骨头的前方凹陷处就是神门穴。这是一个心经的原穴，是治疗各类失眠，神经衰弱，健忘，痴呆的重要穴位，有养心安神，定志的作用。
以上三个穴位，对于各类情况的忧郁症，压力大，失眠，乏力，情绪低落都有很好的帮助，且没有任何副作用，可以在自己家里大胆应用。下次我再具体谈谈太冲穴的作用，以便增强大家对这个穴位全面的认识。
