I see a lot of patients with anxiety who don’t realize they have anxiety. And I see many patients with mild depression who are unmotivated to do anything about it. They may come into the clinic for headaches or back pain, painful menstruation or fatigue, but they discount their own depression as a side effect of the first concern.

Honestly, I was once the same way. I didn’t realize I had anxiety until it was gone.

I think depression, while easily mistaken for fatigue or ‘the blues’ is often overlooked, but sometimes it’s more obvious than anxiety.

Anxiety and depression can manifest in multiple ways.

There are the standard symptoms of depression like fatigue, loss of appetite and loss of interest in doing the things you once loved to do. But both of them can also manifest as anger or irritability, brain fog or poor working memory, low libido, arguing with one’s significant other, or substance abuse. They can also manifest as physical pain, weight loss or weight gain, isolation, lack of motivation and others.

Anxiety might cause heart irregularities, shortness of breath, invasive thoughts, numbness or tingling, cold hands and feet, recurrent stomach aches and even excessive yawning.

However they show up, they’re both miserable experiences. Western medicine tends to use medication and/or therapy, both of which can be extremely useful. Chinese medicine might use herbs and tailored food therapy instead of pharmaceuticals. We would both agree that gentle exercise, a healthy diet, self-care like socializing and maintaining healthy connections with others are all important.

But Chinese medicine addresses something else: Your Qi.

Qi, the life force energy that forms the basis of Chinese Medicine can become depressed. Or be deficient. Or even excessive. We say that yawning for example is a sign that your Qi is constrained and it’s the body’s way of trying to expand and yes, that might manifest as anxiety. Or those of you with mysterious stomach aches who also happen to be overthinker worryworts we might diagnose with what we call an earth element deficiency. The earth element governs the digestive system and while we Acupuncturists have known this for thousands of years, Western medicine now acknowledges that the gut is the ‘second brain.’ More than 50% of dopamine and possibly as much as 90% of serotonin are manufactured in the digestive system.

So it turns out that those mysterious stomach aches you’re having might actually be anxiety, that food really can be medicine and what you need is a little guidance on how to address your symptoms from the root and a little acupuncture to unbind your Qi.

Anxiety and depression are just such uncomfortable ways to go through the world. Consider the possibility of being free from them both.

If you’d like to explore the possible root causes of anxiety or depression or if what you’re doing isn’t working, schedule an appointment with me.

Call or text Float Euphoria at 509-940-1888