Chinese medicine

Has anyone had any success treating depression with Chinese herbal medicine? I ask this because my partner, after deciding to go off his medication and to stop going to counselling has begun seeing a well respected Chinese medicine practitioner.

Having some kind of treatment was part of the deal we made. (Is it a deal when it’s one party meeting the demands of another?) If he wants me to stay he has to get treatment of some sort. No treatment and I go. (Obviously there’s a whole lot of issues worth discussing here but another time.)

I haven’t found many research studies that look at the effectiveness of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) in the treatment of depression. There was a report in 2002 in the Medical Journal of Australia that considered acupuncture and concluded that “acupuncture appears promising as a treatment for depression, but requires further research.”

There’s certainly a lot of info on the net suggesting that the use of Chinese medicine for this illness is widespread. I guess as with any non-Western medicine it is difficult to find studies available in English that provide conclusive evidence one way or the other.

So far my partner has been taking the herbs every night for seven weeks. The doctor is treating the depression in conjunction with other physical problems that are present.

We are still waiting to see what the effect of the herbs are. Seven weeks is pretty early to tell. His depression cycle can go over about three months (from fine to miserable).

At worst I suppose the medicine can treat his physical issues which will in turn mean that he has less to deal with. After all, it’s much easier to cope generally if you’re not run down, sick or in pain.

Of course I’m hoping for more than that, although hope is a strong word. Let’s just say that my wishes lie generally in that direction (or something similarly vague and ridiculous).

Flo