By Perry Gil S. Mallari

http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2006/dec/09/yehey/life/20061209lif
1.html

A GROWING number of doctors of Western medicine are beginning to
investigate the potency of acupuncture as a healing modality for
mentally ill patients.

In the Philippines, Dr. Ria Flores is among the physicians who
believe that Western and oriental medicine can compliment each other
in achieving the ultimate goal of all healers¯the optimum wellness of
their patients.

In her lecture dubbed the "Treatment of Mental Disorder Through
Acupuncture" on November 19 at the Kaisa Heritage Center in
Intramuros, Manila, Reyes—who has B.S. Biology degree from the De La
Salle University and a Medicine degree from the Far Eastern
University-Nicanor Reyes Memorial Foundation—said she studied
acupuncture out of compassion to patients suffering from pain, and
from the ill side effects of strong painkillers.

She began searching for alternative solutions to the problem, and
coincidentally, during this time, she was offered a scholarship by
the Chinese Embassy to study acupuncture in China. After completing
her training in Shanghai and Beijing, Reyes had become an active
advocate of acupuncture as an alternative healing method. According
to her, she favors acupuncture because of the following reasons: it
has fewer side effects; it entails a simple procedure; it cures a
wide range of diseases; and is known to have good curative effects
compared with other mode of treatments.

It was estimated that acupuncture originated in China some 2000 years
ago, though its origins cannot be traced to a definite source. The
Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, which was compiled
around 305-204 B.C., is the first Chinese medical text that describes
the practice of acupuncture.

Needles and pins

Acupuncture has been popular in China for ages, but it only managed
to penetrate Western medicine only three decades ago. The Philippines
was introduced early to this mode of healing because of the strong
Chinese presence in the country.

Acupuncture and most other oriental healing modalities uphold the
concept of qi or chi¯the universal life force that permeates all
living things. Qi was also known as ki in Japanese, pneuma in Greek
and prana in Sanskrit.

According to the principle, qi flows along the meridians that run
across the human body. A blockage on any of these channels indicates
an onset of a disease. Acupuncture operates on the premise that by
inserting fine needles on certain points of the body, the blockages
can be removed and any imbalance in the flow of qi can be corrected.

Acupuncture for mental disorders

The theory of acupuncture dictates that there are 12 meridians that
run along the body, with each corresponding to a particular organ.
There are a total of 361 acupuncture points on the human anatomy,
according to Reyes, though only 300 of these are actively used. She
explains that to understand how acupuncture can be used to treat
mental disorders, it is good to examine the Chinese concept of Shen.

Shen in traditional Chinese medicine encompasses the whole spectrum
of mental, emotional and spiritual aspect of an individual. It is
integral to the Chinese therapeutics theory that says, "Emotions have
distinct effects on the various organs."

Reyes cites a few basic examples. Joy and love, according to her,
affect the heart while sadness and grief affect the lungs, hence the
rapid heartbeat and difficulty in breathing experienced by
individuals agitated by these emotions.

Zeroing in on specific cases, depression, mood swings and impatience,
she said, may indicate qi stagnation in the liver. After a careful
diagnosis of the patient's symptoms, an acupuncturist can stimulate
the necessary points to restore the qi's optimum flow.

Traditional Chinese medicine is holistic in its approach, the reason
why Reyes mentioned the importance of nutrition to one's emotional
and mental well-being. The food and beverages we consume, she
explains, will have a profound effect on our thoughts and emotions.

Reyes again used the liver to illustrate the point. She said that a
case called "liver blood heat" is induced by excessive consumption of
alcohol and fried foods. More heat in the liver can lead to violent
tendencies, she warns, and this explains the phenomenon of angry
drunks and post-drinking binge fights.

The acupuncture points

Reyes mentioned a few acupuncture points used in the treatment of
severe psychiatric cases. One is GB (gall bladder) 13, or Benshen in
Chinese. Dubbed the "Root of the Spirit," this point is used in the
treatment of schizophrenia and split personality cases.

When asked if there's a way to quantify the efficacy of acupuncture
using the Western medicine perspective, the doctor said it is yet to
be done because of the immense disparity between the two healing
traditions. However, she emphasized that it's hard to deny the
testimonies of countless patients who were healed by acupuncture for
the last 2000 years.