Acupuncture for PTSD, Depression, Anxiety
According to the National Institute of Health 21 million adults in the United States had at least one major depressive episode last year. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 301 million people, or 4% of the global population, has anxiety disorders. In the United States 13 million people have PTSD in any given year. Mental health around the globe has reached epidemic proportions.
Among the many modalities that are available to treat mental health acupuncture is one of them. According to Acupuncturists Without Borders, acupuncture works by modulating blood flow in the brain away from the limbic system and to the frontal cortex. It can balance the sympathetic and parasympathetic response, inhibit amygdala stimulation of the adrenals, and produce endorphins which help to reduce pain and produce a state of wellbeing.
Acupuncture works on multiple levels, biochemically, bio magnetically and biomechanically which is why it affects all systems in the body, one treatment for multiple problems. NADA points are a series of 5 acupuncture points that work to regulate the sympathetic response (increased arousal) and parasympathetic response (calming) in relation to one another creating a coherent baseline. This helps calm the amygdala from firing; by reducing cortisol and epinephrine production by the adrenals so the body can shift to an optimal state. Acupuncture can also trigger endorphin secretion which helps to reduce pain while increasing the body’s overall feelings of wellbeing. Pain is often a co-morbidity with PTSD, severe anxiety and major depression disorders.
The limbic system is associated with memory and emotion, and is triggered by sensory information such as sight, sound, taste and touch. This information then goes to the thalmus and is distributed to other parts of the brain. The amygdala processes information and sends it to the adrenals. The adrenals produce cortisol and epinephrine, so we are ready to react (fight or flight). Cortisol breaks down glucose and fats for energy and regulates blood pressure so our vascular system can deal with stress. Epinephrine (adrenaline) speeds up our metabolic functions, so we are prepared to fight or flee.
Long term PTSD, anxiety and depression can create adrenal fatigue. This is when cortisol diminishes, but the adrenals keep firing. This creates a state of hyper-arousal which then leads to a state of wired and tired. An example of this clinically is when people are exhausted but cannot sleep. What happens next is the amygdala receives greater blood flow, and the frontal cortex is deprived of normal blood flow. The result is that the brain becomes unable to process information in a slow orderly fashion. In this instance the amygdala becomes a more significant processor of the experience without the logical processing contribution of the frontal cortex. This affects how the hippocampus indexes and stores memories.
Why is this important where acupuncture is concerned? The brain cannot process trauma if the person is in a chaotic emotional state. Trauma processing can only occur when the cascade of stress hormones and fast track processing in the brain is interrupted, and open cortical facilitation is restored. The goal of acupuncture is to help reset the system so that homeostasis, balance and coherence can be re-established. When restoring proper blood flow in the brain the brain can then process emotions which opens the mind to healing trauma.
