Low mood and depression

Supportive care for low mood, grief and depression, alongside your therapist, psychiatrist or physician. If you are having thoughts of harming yourself, call or text 988 now, or 911 in an emergency.

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Read through

BothWesternClassical

Two lenses, one plan

Wood 木 is the phase it is most often read through. Here the classical lens leads: differential pattern diagnosis decides the treatment, with the Western picture as context.

The Western lensAnatomy, physiology, biomechanics

Mood, stress and the body

Depression involves the brain's mood and reward circuits, and it is closely tied to stress hormones, sleep, inflammation and physical illness. Talk therapy and medication are the established treatments, often together.

Medical causes: An underactive thyroid, anemia, low vitamin levels, some medications and the months after childbirth can all bring on low mood, and your physician can check for them.
What research looks at: Acupuncture has been studied as an addition to standard care for depression, with attention to its effects on the stress response and sleep. Research is ongoing.
Safety first: Thoughts of self-harm need help now: call or text 988, or 911 in an emergency. Never stop or change an antidepressant without your prescriber.

The classical lensChannels, patterns, the five phases

Constraint of the spirit

Emotion that cannot move binds the Liver's qi, and over time the binding wears down the Heart and Spleen that make blood and house the spirit. Body and mood are read as one picture.

Excess becomes deficiency: Early depression often looks like constraint, tense and irritable. Long depression often looks like depletion, flat and tired. The plan follows where you are on that path.
Grief: Grief belongs to the Lung in the five phases. A long, unresolved loss is read through the chest and breath as well as the Liver.

Patterns we often see

Liver qi constraint gān qì yù jié 肝氣鬱結
Heart and Spleen deficiency xīn pí liǎng xū 心脾兩虛
Kidney yang deficiency shèn yáng xū 腎陽虛

Patterns are examples of how this is often read, never a diagnosis. Yours is read at your visit.

How we work: one plan

Acupuncture to move qi and settle the spirit, calming scalp acupuncture lines where they fit, moxibustion when cold and depletion lead, a classical formula checked against every medication, and an acupressure point for hard days. This is supportive care: your therapist and prescriber stay at the center.

What depression is

Depression is more than a bad week. It is a low mood, or a loss of interest and pleasure, that lasts and starts to shape sleep, appetite, energy, concentration and how you see yourself. Grief, a hard season of life, a new baby, chronic pain or a thyroid problem can all bring it on, and sometimes there is no obvious cause. Conventional care includes talk therapy, medication or both, and your therapist and prescriber stay at the center of that care.

Heavy, flat or burned out

People describe depression in very different ways, and the classical reading listens closely to the words. Some feel tight and stuck, with sighing, irritability and a pressure in the chest that eases with movement: constrained qi. Some feel fragile and tearful, sleep badly and have lost their appetite: the Heart and Spleen have run short of blood. Some feel cold, slowed and withdrawn, worse in winter, with little drive left: Kidney yang is low. The classical name for the whole family, yù zhèng (鬱證), means constraint disorders.

How we work with it

Acupuncture is usually the core, with points that move qi and settle the spirit, and calming scalp acupuncture where it fits. Moxibustion is added when cold and depletion lead. A formula may follow, chosen from the pattern: for a depleted, sleepless picture a practitioner might consider Gui Pi Tang (Restore the Spleen Decoction, 歸脾湯), while constraint that has turned irritable and hot calls for a cooling, qi-moving formula instead. Any formula comes only after a check against your medications. You leave with an acupressure point for harder days. We check in on sleep, energy and mood at each visit, and we encourage you to share what you notice with your therapist.

Formulas here illustrate how pattern diagnosis shapes treatment. They are not recommendations; a practitioner selects and adjusts formulas for the individual.

Questions people ask

Can acupuncture help depression?

Acupuncture has been studied as a supportive therapy for depression, usually alongside medication or talk therapy, and research is ongoing. Many people describe feeling calmer and more settled after treatment. It does not replace mental health care.

Do I have to stop my antidepressant?

No. Never stop or change an antidepressant without your prescriber, since stopping suddenly can cause withdrawal symptoms or a relapse. We work alongside your medication.

Can I take Chinese herbs with an antidepressant?

Sometimes, with care. Every formula is checked against each medication and supplement you take, and some combinations are avoided altogether. Tell us about everything on your list.

What if I am in crisis?

If you are thinking about harming yourself or feel unsafe, call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, at any hour. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. Acupuncture is never crisis care.

This is general wellness information, not medical advice.

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