Post Traumatic Stress Disorder better known as PTSD is a mental disorder where a person reacts to a “fight or flight” type of situation in an irrational manner. PTSD usually happens to people usually soldiers who have been involved or have witnessed a very traumatic situation. The experience of that event lingers in his mind and he still reacts to it even after it has passed and the danger does not exist anymore. PTSD can utterly debilitate a person and it does not select any age group. Research has shown that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and acupuncture Linwood are capable of managing the symptoms of PTSD.
PTSD may result in these types of situations:
1) The person undergoes a situation fraught with horror, helplessness or intense fear.
2) A person witnesses or is involved in an incident where severe bodily harm or death was faced to him or to others.
Some typical symptoms of PTSD:
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Easily startled
- Always hyper-alert
- Loss of concentration
- Sleeplessness
- Anguish felt when confronted with mental and physical signs that mirrors the shock
- Repetitive stressful dreams
- Neurosis
- Angry or raging outbursts
Sometimes PTSD symptoms may manifest even years after the traumatic experience has elapsed or sometimes they can appear immediately. For treatment the Western conventional methods of counseling and/or therapy with intake of medications for the symptoms of loss of concentration, sleeplessness, depression and anxiety are given to the patient.
As an alternative treatment for PTSD, TCM and acupuncture uses needles inserted at specific points to stimulate the area of the brain where memories that evoke extreme emotions reside to control the memories of trauma in a safe and relaxed way. Acupuncture treatment for PTSD uses a gentle approach to stimulate the brain without exciting it to trigger memories of traumatic flashbacks. Auricular (ear) acupuncture is often applied with some needles also inserted to other parts of the body to put the mind in a state of calm and tranquility and to balance chi in the body.
Massage or mild and gentle physiotherapy can also help relax the body especially the tight and tense muscles of PTSD patients during and even after acupuncture. Herbal mixtures are included in the treatment to further achieve the tranquility and calmness the patient needs to be in to safely and effectively treat the symptoms.
Apart from acupuncture, physiotherapy and herbal medicine some other treatments that can be extremely helpful in treating PTSD symptoms are EFT or emotional freedom technique, EMDR or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, meditation, counseling or yoga. Acupuncture can help with the balance of emotions and physical health while the other modalities help channel the negative experiences in a safe and positive way
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