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Published on 12th June 2005 - Sunday Express Magazine
"Give depression the needle"
| Drugs used to be the only treatment option,
but evidence now suggests that acupuncture is a safe and effective alternative. Nathalie
Gibbons talks to a woman who has been helped back to health by this ancient technique."Tricia Nicoll, 38, lives with her husband John, 40, in York. Both work in
social care. Tricia was diagnosed with bipolar disorder (also known as manic depression)
in her early twenties but has been well since a course of acupuncture last year.
All my adult life I’ve gone through highs where I was full of energy, followed by
terrible lows where I saw my life as pointless and struggled to get out of bed in the
morning. Since 2000, I’ve been fairly stable after finding a combination of drugs
that worked well for me. However, last January I decided to come off the medication. John
and I wanted to try for a baby and I knew the drugs could harm my unborn child. Within a
fortnight, I could feel the depression ebbing back. John was wonderful, as always,
encouraging me along in his calm, supportive way but I was struggling, so I went back to
my doctor who suggested I get involved in an acupuncture trial at York University. |
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When I've seen psychiatrists in the past, I'm
always asked how I feel, which is impossible to describe when you're so
depressed. But during my first session with acupuncturist Hugh MacPherson,
he asked me how I felt physically. Was I hot? Was I restless? It was such
a relief to say yes, that's exactly how I feel, and put words to my
symptoms. Hugh explained that in Chinese medicine terms, I had too much
heat and too much damp in my body. The heat was causing my manic and
restless symptoms while the damp was responsible for my depression.
I started having two sessions a week, where needles were inserted
into my arms, legs, feet and neck. After my third session I felt terrible,
really lethargic. Hugh explained this was because the heat had gone, and
he was right, I wasn't feeling restless or manic at all. All we needed to
tackle now was the damp - or depression.
After another six sessions, I woke one morning
and felt a glimmer of normality, which grew over the next two weeks until
I felt better than ever, both physically and emotionally. I returned to
work after just six weeks (usually I was off for months when I felt
depressed) and colleagues and friends kept commenting how well I looked. I
stopped seeing Hugh last June and I haven't been depressed once since
then. Every day I'm reminded of how acupuncture has helped me. Instead of
reaching for the antidepressants, I'm now taking folic acid to prepare my
body for pregnancy."
I stopped seeing Hugh last June and I haven't been depressed once since
then. Every day I'm reminded of how acupuncture has helped me. Instead of
reaching for the antidepressants, I'm now taking folic acid to prepare my
body for pregnancy."
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