In the following case study, Jiang, a 63-year-old woman who walked into a Korean hospital with a flushed face, had woken from sleep suddenly as if she was in shock after about 30 minutes of slumber. When she tried to go back to sleep she felt as though she was in the ground and was gasping for air. She also had other ongoing symptoms including fatigue, depression, restless heartbeat, headache, choking sensation in her chest, irritability, sensitivity to heat, and indigestion.
Her nerves were so sensitive that she could feel the vibrations of flying mosquitoes. Her sensitivities were such that if she so much as thought of a bathroom, she would develop symptoms of bladder inflammation such as the frequent and urgent need to urinate.As a result of these symptoms, Jiang was hospitalized for depression and panic disorder for two years and received Western medicine treatment. However, instead of getting better, she began to suffer from insomnia and trance. She then turned to the DongGuTong Oriental Medical Clinic in South Korea.
The hospital treated Jiang with acupuncture combined with oral herbal medicine based on the prescription Xiexin Decoction—with main ingredients including rhubarb, Coptis, and Scutellaria.
A week later, Jiang’s diseases, including insomnia, depression, indigestion, facial flushing, and cystitis, were all relieved. A month and a half later, her depression and panic disorder had improved significantly. Most of her symptoms were greatly relieved.
She could go out again and engage in normal social activities—her life improved dramatically. The sleeping pills she had been taking for a long time had been discontinued, though her nerves were still sensitive, and her bladder infection still occasionally flared up.
South Korea Acupuncture Injection Therapy refers to injecting herbal liquid into acupoints with a syringe, achieving both acupuncture and herbal effects, Kang Ji Seok, president of Tongbotang Korean Hospital, told The Epoch Times on February 8.
South Korea Acupuncture Injection Therapy uses herbal preparations made according to the standard of the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs of the South Korean government and is widely used by Korean physicians.
Seok explained that for chronic diseases, he adopts a combination of acupuncture with compound herbs, whose combined effect is faster and more lasting. If acupuncture is used alone, it takes longer for the same effect to occur.
He also stressed that in treating mood disorders such as depression, doctors should pay close attention to communicating with their patients—listen to the causes of their depression and troubles, and persuade them to let go of their desires for fame, wealth, and affection, which is also helpful for the treatment of mood disorders.
Acupuncture and herbs are the two main methods of treating diseases in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) as well as in Korean medicine, which is mainly derived from TCM. The two methods can be used alone or in combination.
As Korean medicine (TCM) comes from Taoism, its health preservation theory is deeply influenced by Taoism. In the Taoist classic “Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor,” the author emphasized that to maintain health, one needs to lose the desire for fame, wealth, sensuality, and so on.
Acupuncture and herbs have been shown to help treat depression in a number of studies.