Treating Bipolar Disorder with Traditional Chinese Medicine
When Richard (Alias) came to see me, he hadn’t worked for more than two years, and he had attempted suicide once. His sister was living in a different part of the country. She searched for my information on the Internet and booked a consultation appointment for her brother. When I first met Richard, he was a burly middle-aged man, but his expression was indifferent, his eyes were hollow, and his bipolar disorder was in a depressive state.
Richard initially reported that he was depressed, extremely tired, and always drowsy. His appetite was poor, and he felt anxious around others. Richard had attempted suicide recently. He had a light red tongue with a yellow greasy coating and his pulse was slippery. Western medicine diagnosed Richard as bipolar and he was taking western medicine. However, his symptoms have not been relieved, and anxiety and depression still occurred regularly.
Western medicine generally believes that bipolar disorder is a neurological disease, but according to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, bipolar disorder is closely related to your internal organs. According to the theory of Chinese medicine: Richard’s disease was caused by kidney deficiency, spleen deficiency, and phlegm heat. Traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine are two completely different systems. For many patients unfamiliar with Chinese medicine, it is hard to reconcile these two differing diagnoses. While initially confused by this diagnosis, Richard listened to me carefully. I suggested the following to Richard:
- Avoid doing hard physical labour and save energy.
- Richard should practice keeping a clear mind. The Buddha believed that having an empty mind was essential for your health.
- Recognize when your body is telling you it wants to be alone. It is ok to reduce the amount of social contact you have.
- Reduce sex life during TCM treatment.
- Eat a light and balanced diet.
- Spend more time outside during daylight hours.
- At the same time, I performed acupuncture and herbal treatments for him.
I told Richard, “You will get better, I have treated similar patients and the results have been very good.” Richard began to cry. His sister came to the clinic with him for consultation, and she also began to cry. I am sympathetic to Richard’s predicament. Living with a chronic condition can significantly decrease your quality of life.
Richard’s treatment began as once a week appointments. When he came for his second appointment, I saw that Richard’s eyes were no longer dull, his eyes had started to shine again, and I found that he liked to smile. He told me that his appetite had improved, he was no longer drowsy, and his overall energy levels had improved. He started to do landscaping work in his backyard.
During the third visit, Richard said that he had started a part-time job and built a deck for his neighbour. I was worried that he was overworking himself and repeatedly told him to slow down when he was tired. At the same time, he complained of poor sleep. These symptoms led me to believe that his phlegm-heat was still heavy and was disturbing his sleep. I changed his prescription to clear heat and an expectorant.
During the subsequent seven treatments, four things happened: He once drove a motorcycle on his own and went to Florida to visit his family for a week. Richard drove for four days on the road. The trip made him very happy, and his emotional energy was good. One of his friends committed suicide suddenly and unexpected. Richard was devastated by the news. However, he said he would not do anything like that again. Richard described his own suicide experience to me. He was tearing up when he spoke. I told him that if one day you despair again, think about how much you have already improved with help from Chinese medicine. I will help him always. With the consent of the neurologist, he gradually reduced the dosage of western medicine. He found a full-time job as a teacher. Richard was treated ten times in total.
Some people are wealthy, while others are powerful. Societies across the globe may think that is the way to be successful. In reality, Inner peace and harmony are the results we have to pursue all our lives. Even if you are just ordinary, with inner peace, you have invaluable wealth. Life is difficult, and during these times you may feel doubt or suffer from anxiety and depression. In difficult times, don’t give up. Try Chinese medicine treatment, it may bring your mind back to peace.