Can Chinese Herbs Help Clients with Depression?
By Andrew Gaeddert, BA, AHG Depression is a mood disorder characterized by feelings of sadness, discouragement and despair. All of us have experienced such feelings at one time or another: perhaps after a death, a major disappointment, or other trauma. GA_googleFillSlot(“acupuncturetoday_com_Articles_Pages_Rectangle”); This is a natural and healthy response, and most of us overcome these feelings in time. However, when these feelings occur without any precipitating factors and are persistent, depression has set in. Over 28 million Americans (Textbook of Natural Medicine, p. 1040) take antidepressant and anti-anxiety agents. This is truly an astounding figure. Depression is among the most common of behavioral disorders. Some have even said that it is the “common cold” of psychiatric/psychological problems (What You Need to Know About Psychiatric Drugs, p. 23). In 1994, it was reported that 17.1% of the general American population had a lifetime history of a major depressive episode (Arc
