Can You Use Chinese Medicine for Mental Health? The Answer Might Shock You

The term ‘mental health’ has suffered a surge in popularity in recent years, especially after 2020. Although mental health concerns come from even earlier. It can be said that as long as humans have been around, there have always been concerns about one’s mental well-being.

Nowadays it can be said there’s a sort of mental health epidemic with high rates of issues like depression, anxiety, chronic stress, and other disorders. Paired with the inability of conventional pharmacological interventions to solve the issue, more and more people are looking into alternative methods.

In this article, you will learn how to use Chinese medicine for mental health, how it can help you, and some actionable steps you can take to complement your healing journey.

​TL;DR

• Chinese Medicine sees the mind as inseparable from the body. A Mind With Body approach rather than the sometimes detached approach of Western medicine.
• The use of Chinese Medicine for mental health dates back even to the BC years when the classics were written. The most popular herbal formula is used for mood disorders, anxiety, and depression.
• TCM deals with mental health by addressing the underlying cause and disharmony patterns like Qi and Blood deficiencies in the Organs among others.
• The effects of the use of TCM for mental health go from promoting overall relaxation and stress reduction to addressing the mental health condition itself creating a synergistic effect.
• In the end, there are some actionable tips for using TCM for improved mental health.

​Mental Health Overview

Although mental health conditions are as old as humans, there is undoubtedly a significant increment of such conditions happening at this moment.

According to statistics, a large percentage of Americans suffer from at least one mental health condition, whether it be depression, anxiety, substance abuse, or others. This is not just relegated to adults, a good percentage of teenagers claim to have suffered or are suffering from a form of mental health.

This problem seems to be widespread in developed countries also affecting European countries and Asian countries.

There is no doubt about the presence of a large mental health epidemic in Asian countries. Japan is perhaps the most evident example with its (sadly) high suicide rates. Places like China, India, South Korea, and others also have their share of mental health conditions.

To put this into perspective, let’s look at some numbers:

• Approximately 23% of adults in the U.S. experienced a mental illness in the past year, which equates to nearly 60 million Americans.
• Around 21% of adults are experiencing at least one mental illness, roughly 50 million people.
• An estimated 26% of Americans ages 18 and older suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year.
• It is estimated that more than 84 million people in the EU are struggling with mental health problems. In 2019, Portugal had the highest share of the population reporting chronic depression (12.2%), followed by Sweden (11.7%), Germany, and Croatia (11.6%).
• In Asian countries like Korea, Japan, China, Indonesia, and Indonesia, the mental health statistics are similar to the ones portrayed in Western countries with Japan and Korea being the most known for the suicide crisis.

These are but a snippet of the current state of mental health worldwide.

To understand how to tackle mental health issues you must first understand how both medical paradigms view the psychological realm. So let’s get into it.

​East vs West’s View of the Psychological

There are many ways to address the psychological realm and mental space. For this article, let’s focus on two main views: the Western view and the Traditional Chinese view.

Let’s see what each one says:

​Western View

The Western view of the psychological and mental has gone through many changes throughout history. Perhaps the most significant, and also damaging, change in the Western view of the psychological is the shift from analyzing ‘the soul’, so to speak, to analyzing chemical reactions in the brain.

The word Psychology itself comes from the Greek words Psyche which means human soul, and Logia which means study. This term reflecting the presence of the soul entailed that there is an important personal factor that must be taken into account.

However, being influenced by the Enlightenment, almost all of the Western institutions stripped away the immaterial and focused solely on the material. Thus, what was once called the soul is now just a bunch of chemical reactions in the brain’.

However, if there’s no soul there’s no Psychology.

The field of Psychology has evolved and improved and now they refer to the human as a Bio-psycho-social being. This is a mantra that was repeated ad nauseam by all our teachers. This concept tries to intertwine almost every aspect of human life, but it falls short.

What’s more, even though this concept is talked about, many psychiatric practices emphasize the biomedical and pure biological view of the mind, trying to chemically ‘fix’ it with pharmaceuticals.

Now let’s see how the Chinese view it:

​Eastern View

The Traditional Chinese view of the psychological is that the mind, psyche, and the spiritual are all part of the Shen or Spirit.

It is important to note that the Chinese medical vernacular uses pre-scientific vocabulary and uses broad concepts.

This is particularly disturbing to the Western mind so accustomed to technical language and reductionist thinking, causing many people to dismiss Traditional Chinese Medicine because it sounds and feels like glorified shamanic practices. Nothing could be further from the truth.

So, when faced with concepts like the Spirit/Shen, Cold, Dampness, and others; I want you not to think about them as unscientific jibberish but try to understand what those concepts include and refer to because there is more to these words than just a shallow interpretation.

In traditional Chinese Medicine, the mental aspect belongs to one of the vital substances known as the Shen or Spirit. It is one of the three jewels of Chinese Medicine along with Qi and Jing.

The Shen is the sum of the psychological, social, mental, and spiritual aspects of yourself and is deeply related to the Five main Organ networks of the Body (the Zhang-Fu).

The Shen itself is divided into five ‘smaller’ Shen that reside within the Organs and are in charge of specific emotions, and virtues.

Some examples are the Liver which is related to the Anger emotion, and the Shen which resides in it (the Hun) is in charge of the virtue of benevolence and empathy. The Kidneys are related to the emotion of fear, and its Shen (the Zhi) is in charge of volition and willpower, as well as the virtue of wisdom, the one that is attained with age.

According to TCM theory, there is no mind-body dichotomy or distinction, and a better way to see it would be Mind With Body. Many mental health disorders are explained and caused by disharmonies in the Organ networks that in turn impact the Shen.

This deep connection between the mental and the physical leads to the conclusion that by acting on one you will surely influence the other, meaning there is no primary psychism, there are no mental issues by themselves, and there’s always a bodily factor included.

Now that you are familiar with the two main views of the mental realm a necessary question comes to mind, let’s answer it:

​Can You Use Chinese Medicine for Mental Health?

Yes, indeed. The use of Chinese Medicine for mental health dates even to the times of the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Cannon, the Huangdi Neijing (1st century BC). In this canon, there were rough descriptions of mental health disorders referred to as ‘madness’ which by today’s terms could referred to as anxiety, bipolar disorder, and depression. Other classical texts like the Shanghan Lun and Chuang Zi talk about mental issues and strategies on how to deal with them.

Nina Cheng, the author of the book ‘’Chinese Medicine for the Mind’’ talks about how the most popular herbal formula in TCM is used for mood disorders and makes up 45% of all herbal formula sales. This was first recorded at a time when China had a fast-paced cosmopolitan and mentally exhaustive life. Picture it like the 13th-century version of current New York.

This points to a long-standing tradition of dealing with mental health disorders using Chinese Medicine.

Traditional Chinese Medicine for mental health issues uses the same approaches and methods as for other conditions; namely Acupuncture, Moxibustion, Herbal medicine and diet, and Qi gong.

But how does it work? That’s what you will learn now.

​How TCM deals with Mental health

When talking about how TCM deals with Mental health issues there are two main ways to characterize the effects: Broad effects, and Specific effects. Now, these work in conjunction creating a positive synergy that leads to better results.

Let’s see what are those effects:

​Broad Effects

Reduces Stress and Promotes relaxation

Perhaps one of the most popular effects of using Chinese medicine for mental health is the lowering of stress levels and overall relaxation it promotes. Even patients during their first ever Acupuncture session feel a notable reduction in their stress.

Some note they feel ‘less tense’ throughout the day.

What’s more, the combination of Acupuncture and Acupressure routines with Qi Gong/Tai Chi exercises accomplishes a higher level of relaxation and better mood.

This in turn improves your mood and helps you deal with the challenges a lot better.

Mindfulness Practices with deliberate attention

Some practices like Qi Gong and Tai Chi that include movement are ideal for creating a mindfulness experience with added physical benefits.

Some routines like the Baduanjin or the 5 Animals Play require a good amount of concentration to get the positions and steps right, making you focus your attention on the present moment and your body. As well as being a good way to improve overall health and make you stronger.

Bonus points if you can find a local group to join,

Better Sleep

Sleep is the cornerstone of good health, and many mental health issues can be traced back to a long history of poor sleep health. Chinese medicine uses acupuncture and herbal formulas to address this issue getting great results in both sleep quality and mental health.

Also, by following your body’s circadian rhythm based on the Organ clock, and going to bed at no longer than 11 pm you will notice you will feel more recharged, refreshed, and mentally resilient.

The ancient Chinese doctors taught about the importance of going to bed at this time, and curiously enough, it has been discovered that the highest levels of melatonin, which is a hormone that makes you sleepy and helps you stay asleep, are between the hours of 10 pm to 3 am.

So sleeping during this time will have a greater positive impact than sleeping 8 hours but from 1 am to 9 am.

Now let’s see the Specific Effects.

​Specific Effects

By analyzing the way Chinese medicine works, there are two main specific effects when dealing with mental health disorders. Let’s see them:

Restoring Organ Health and thus Improving the Psychological

As said before, many mental health issues if not all have a bodily component in the eyes of Traditional Chinese Medicine. As an example, depression can be seen as a manifestation of a disharmony of the Kidneys, and restoring the Kidneys’ health can lead to improved mood, better attitude towards life, and other benefits.

This is supported by the relationship between the Zhang-Fu organs and their respective Shen. Although mental health issues tend to be complex and involve multiple organs, you can get the idea of how healing the organ can help heal the mind.

Treating Specific Conditions

Traditional Chinese Medicine also has specific prescriptions and Acupuncture protocols for treating specific mental health disorders. Using the right herbal formulas, lifestyle changes, and acupoints, TCM addresses the root cause of the disease making your body and mind capable of healing.

This is where Chinese herbal medicine shines, the Chinese have perhaps the most extensive record of herbal medicine and formulas ever created as well as being perfected throughout thousands of years.

There are formulas for almost any type of issue ranging from anxiety to depression, to insomnia, and others.

Well, now you understand how Chinese medicine treats mental health conditions. But, is there something you can do to use TCM for mental health?

Yes, there is.

​Steps to Use Chinese Medicine for Mental Health

Here is a list of simple steps to follow that apply the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine to improve your mental health. Being the most important medicine the one you don’t have to take, these steps will be focused on prevention given that you need to go to a certified specialist for mental health treatment.

Let’s see what you can do from the comfort of your home:

1. Have a consistent sleep schedule: As discussed before, sleep is the foundational ground from where a healthy life is built. Achieving good sleep hygiene will heal both your body and mind. Do this and you will instantly notice the changes in a couple of days. Go to bed at 11 pm at most.
2. Daily morning and night relaxation acupressure routines: While Acupuncture must be done by a certified acupuncturist, you can still leverage this knowledge and craft a self-care Acupressure routine tailored to your needs. Whether it is stress relief, better sleep, or pain relief; Acupressure will certainly help you.
3. Watch your diet: You know by now that acting in an Organ will have a direct impact on its Shen. The same principles apply to your diet as it is the foundation of all of your vital substances. If you eat poorly using hyper-processed foods or sprayed with pesticides, if you eat a lot of fast food, your body and mind will respond in kind. Focus on whole, organic foods, preferably locally sourced and seasonal.
4. Pick a hobby: This is an underrated tip but picking something that sparks your curiosity and absorbs yourself into it is one of the best ways to boost your mood and improve your mental health. Practices like Origami have been shown to reduce overall stress levels and can even help patients with neurological disorders. Choose something you are passionate about learning about, and let the time fly.
5. Get into a community or get enrolled in a group Qi Gong: Our current way of life is an isolationist one. You get up, go to work, return home, maybe go to the gym, and then return home. Social events are rare, even more, so if you are an introvert, but we are not made like that. Even though you might be an introvert, having social bonds and a community has a positive impact on your mood. And if you choose a Qi Gong group you will also get the health benefits of regular Qi Gong practice.
6. Go to a TCM doctor and get treatment: Last but not least, if you feel like you need help, don’t wait any longer and go to a certified specialist for proper treatment. Prevention also includes tackling the problems as they arise.

So there you have it. Those are simple steps you can follow to apply TCM for mental health in your life.

​Final Remarks and Recommended Reading

If you are interested in deepening your understanding of how Traditional Chinese Medicine deals with psychological issues and mental health disorders, then this book is the one for you.

Chinese Medicine for the Mind A Science-Backed Guide to Improving Mental Health with Traditional Chinese Medicine written by Nina Cheng is one of the best resources you can access. It gives a detailed explanation of different mental health disorders as seen by a historian, or a clinician, and gives actionable steps into how to heal them as well as herbal formula recipes.

Go give it a read and let me know.

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