Depression and Traditional Chinese Medicine (Part 1)

So... I started seeing an acupuncturist at Bahari Chiropractic and Wellness because I was already seeing a chiropractor and a massage therapist there. I chose this office simply because it was the closest to my home on the list of providers on the StudentCare network from UBC. Ok, and the Bahari website was informative and had friendly looking pictures.

I'll post about the StudentCare network another time, but it suffices to say that the system rocks for money-strapped college students who want to find medical providers who open their doors to such students. Despite my early entry to the full-time work force a while back, I sometimes feel like I am thrashing around in the space between a kid in the world (untraveled; reluctant to take big risks in terms of reshaping my life) and a huppie (half-yuppie, half-hippie).

Dag nammit, I thought I was slightly clever in making that up on the spot but apparently Urban Dictionary already has "huppie" logged. Fine, I'm also a punk and a nerd so, add that in there. Punehuppie? Hupunerd? Ooh, I like hupunerd! Right, so... back to the topic: Traditional Chinese Medicine.

For those of you who like linky-dinks, this is Wikipedia's entry on Traditional Chinese Medicine. Damn, Wikipedia is making me lazy. Moving on. If you know me, you probably know that I am depressed and if it's not obvious, you have not hung out with me enough. It will strike at very inopportune times. If you happen to also suffer from depression - and I mean the soul-in-the-gutter type depression - boy do I have some links for you. Prod me a little to post those in the future. Ok, refocus. A couple weeks ago I was poking around the Google links to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM from now on) and its typical conception and treatment of depression and insomnia. Oh, and I have a bunch of stuff about insomnia too.

A few weeks ago I read and bookmarked a short article called "Depression and the Five Elements" which began my interest in TCM and depression. Even if you think the categories are bollocks, the article should not piss you off too much. Personally, I'm not too keen on the elemental correspondences to physical characteristics like body shape and hair colour but I do find the grouping of personality traits worth contemplation. This really reminded me of the four humours stuff that I briefly learned about in my psychology undergrad degree. This stuff is pretty interesting too: Wikipedia entry on the four humours/ temperaments; a more colourful intro to the four humours; piqued your interest? here's more recent work on the five temperaments compliments of Wikipedia; and lastly the Wikipedia entry on classical elements which ties nicely into the "Depression and the Five Elements" article.

I will now say that my first experiences with Traditional Chinese Medicine were nothing like that article suggested.

But... you'll have to wait for tomorrow for me to recount this and link and stuff because it's bed time. And with my kind of insomnia, it's a blessing to actually feel drowsy at this time of night.

Perhaps it's partially due to the treatment I have been receiving. That would be so unbelievably wonderful. And I bought some used science fiction books today as a reward for getting started again with my school work. That's another topic I should briefly blog about: my reviews of the used book stores in Kitsilano. Which is where I live, if you didn't know that already. It's a neighbourhood in Vancouver, BC. Canada. With the mooses.