Depression and anxiety in Bremerton can be debilitation conditions, truly damaging a person’s quality of life. They can sometimes afflict people at intervals throughout their life, especially during times of stress. There can be many causes and sometimes it is difficult to pinpoint one. It may stem from severe traumas people have experienced, or a lack of certain vitamins and minerals from food and healthy assimilation of nutrients.  Sometimes the body has difficulty making certain hormones, which may lead to depression and anxiety.   In this blog we’ll dispel some of the myths around anxiety and depression and explain that there is a physiological reason why people suffer from those conditions. We’ll go over how acupuncture and other forms of holistic care can really be life changing solutions to help people overcome these ailments holistically.

Depression affects nearly 21 million people per year and about 10 % of the population each year, but those are only reported numbers, and the actual numbers of people suffering is likely much higher.  Depression is marked when people have lost all enthusiasm for life without any specific reason to feel that way. When asked why they feel depressed, there is often no answer. Many of them have been living with it for so long it simply becomes part of them.

Anxiety is considered the most common mental disturbance in the United States, affecting over 28 million people per year.  It can range from a mild nervous tense feeling, to full blown panic attacks, which people fear for their safety and wellbeing.

One common reason for why people at Bremerton Wellness in Bremerton suffer from depression and anxiety is that they may have suffered major life traumas. Death of a loved one, betrayal, divorce, to name a few.   Sometimes their friends and family will have a difficult time understanding how they can be so negatively affected by these conditions. The people who suffered the trauma may be told to “toughen up” or “it’s not real, it’s all in your head.” When you compound the problems these people already experience with being invalidated and misunderstood by others, it often makes the conditions much worse, further alienating them from their friends, family, and the rest of society.

Both Allopathic and Chinese medicine state that issues which are mental in nature can be from a deficiency of essential vitamins and minerals. Therefore, there is a physiological reason behind why someone feels the way that they do. If people in Bremerton are not getting the proper vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin B6, that may lead to depression and anxiety.  Vitamin B6 is needed to make serotonin, dopamine and melatonin. Sometimes people don’t get enough nutrients from food or they aren’t metabolizing them properly. Another reason could be people could be sweating or bleeding too much, in which case they are losing too many vitamins and minerals, which can throw off the hormonal balance, leading to anxiety and depression.  Lack of good quality sleep is also an important factor for these conditions as well. Not that it’s necessarily the cause, but poor sleep can make anxiety and depression worse.

Acupuncture is excellent at helping improve depression and anxiety in a few different ways.  For one, it helps the body to metabolize nutrients properly so that if you are eating the right foods, your body will be absorbing the vitamins and minerals effectively.  It is also effective at stimulating the release of serotonin, which is one of the feel-good hormones.  It can also help to balance the function of the adrenal glands and hormonal levels as well. This may benefit both people suffering from anxiety and depression. Lastly, acupuncture is effective at promoting good sleep, which is essential to feel good overall.

Herbal medicine and supplements may benefit depression and anxiety because, it can replace whatever vitamins and minerals the body is lacking. Minerals are precursors for hormones, so when the body has the minerals it needs, it can begin to make the hormones it needs to be happy, healthy, and enjoying life. If you or someone you know in Bremerton suffers from anxiety or depression and want to talk about it, we welcome you to come in for a free consultation to better determine whether we can help.

In health,

Michael Maniloff
Acupuncturist, Bremerton Wellness
Bremertonwellness.com
(360) 627-7408