Chinese Medicine: Can This Help Treat Mental And Emotional Health Issues?

My name is Mark Tryling. I am with Meridian Harmonics Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in Bedford, Texas.

I provide traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture services to various age segments of population in our local area.

Personally, my focus is in the area of women’s health, fertility treatments, pain management and treating internal medical conditions using pharmacy grade Chinese herbal medicine to replace or supplement the traditional prescription medicines of my patients. So these are some of my conditions that I address and manage on a daily basis.

Chinese medicine is very useful as a tool and a medicine that can be helpful for a whole array of emotional issues ranging from depressions, anxieties to irritability and just even common menstrual-related or post-menstrual and post-menopausal related emotional issues.

In Chinese medicine we believe that emotions are very integrated into your physical body. It is actually a two-way street. Emotional imbalances can manifest physical problems, disorders and diseases and likewise, physical ailments can manifest emotional problems. It is all based on the concept that the energies that provide all the organs and tissues with health and nourishment become irregular in their movement, stagnant or deficient. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are designed to correct and harmonize these energetic imbalances allowing the body's emotional and physical levels to naturally balance themselves without the need for long-term use of prescription drugs that simply mask the symptoms.

So a lot of time when we look at and address emotional health issues we tend to also look at how our physical body plays a role in the emotional being.

So every time when we prescribe acupuncture treatment or prescribe some herbs for patients, we always look and examine that integration issue.

So we call this an integral medicine. We believe that the emotions are very much part of our physical body, so when we treat it we look at both sides of it.

So when we look at anxiety, for example, there are certain herbs that we would use. There are certain acupuncture techniques we would use.

Chinese medicine, being and integral medicine, encompasses a variety of techniques to re-establish health and wellness. In my practice I use a multifaceted approach for each patient in order to get the results we both want. The tools I use to help each patient are acupuncture, my Chinese herbal compounding pharmacy, Chinese dietary therapy, food energetics and a unique approach to exercise. In this way I tackle each patients health issues from various angles and perspectives to get them on the road to health and wellness and stay there. I love to work with patients who like having a partner in their long-term health care.


I also help guide my patients to look at how they can have a better lifestyle in dealing with anxiety. I give them tools, give them techniques, give them things that they can do at home, in their work, that can be helpful to really manage their nervousness and their anxiety.

For example depression, which can range from mild to moderate depression situations. Not every single depression situation needs medications. I have seen many of my patients respond very nicely to Chinese medicine without having to begin or continue prescription drug therapy.

So we are trying to teach a very important aspect of emotional health to our patients. We are trying to teach our patients to have a grasp, have a grip on what they can do to manage emotional issues especially relating to depressions, how they can work with their community, their support communities such as their spouse, such as their friends who can help them go through the depressions better.

So there are things that we do to help them, so that it's not just taking a medication or doing one technique to help them, but rather looking at all the ways that could help in their lifestyle to really help their condition.

About Mark Tryling:
Mark Tryling is a Licensed Acupuncturist in the State of Texas by the Texas Medical Board and is a Diplomat of Acupuncture and Chinese Herbology NCCAOM. He has been active in the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) profession as well as professional organizations. He has studied and practiced a unique and powerful style of acupuncture known as Balance Method and is the only Balance Method preferred provider in North Texas. Mark Tryling is well known for his groundbreaking work in Chinese pulse diagnosis, called the Pulse Matrix, which he uses to diagnose and treat complex medical conditions. He teaches Balance Method and the Pulse Matrix to other acupuncturists. Mark Tryling is a member of the Texas Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, International Balance Method Practitioners.

Visit Mark Tryling at Meridian Harmonics

Pain Management Using Oriental Medicine

How does Acupuncture treat Pain?

In Chinese medicine, acupuncture meridian theory states that there are 14 primary channels of energy within the body. These channels or meridians are similar to a highway system. Qi, pronounced chee, (energy and information) is transmitted through the meridians so the body can perform specific tasks. When there is an interruption of the flow of energy or information in the meridian systems, one of the first signs can be discomfort or pain. Each of the meridians has internal and external branches or pathways. Acupuncture points lie on the external branches. The internal branches connect to other meridians or channels and to the internal organs. In this way acupuncture points can treat both pain and disharmony in the organs.

How does Tai Chi and Qi Gong help to relieve pain?

Chinese medicine is rooted in several major concepts and laws that govern the physical universe. One of these concepts is that Movement = Health and Non-movement (Stagnation) = Disease. To use this concept we need to understand that the body consists of meridians that transport Qi, blood vessels that transport Blood and tissues/organs that transport specific body fluids or food. These systems are designed to be dynamic or moving. When they cease to move efficiently or effectively, then the body will suffer. Longstanding lack of movement will, eventually, cause pain. To prevent or reduce pain, the ancient Chinese discovered that physical movement was one of the keys to health.

How does Chinese Herbal Medicine treat Pain?

They’re numerous pathogenic causes to pain. In western medicine most of these causes are rooted in nervous system disorders. Chinese Medicine, however, is not based on the nervous system. Therefore, pain can be caused by disharmonies with Qi, Blood, Body Fluids and environmental factors. Some examples of these disharmonies and just a few herbs to treat them are listed below.

Qi (Energy) Deficiency: Pain is worse with exertion; fatigue, weakness, swelling, distending pain; pain alleviated with pressure

Astragulus Root – augments Qi, strengthens blood; for numbness in limbs and painful obstructions

Licorice root – replenishes Qi, reduces toxicity, relieves spasms & pain

Qi (Energy) Stagnation: Achy pain, especially in the rib cage; anxiety, irritability, depression; pain aggravated with pressure

Tangerine Peel – regulates Qi, normalizes Spleen and Stomach functioning

Bupleurum – soothes Liver for pain in abdomen, chest and rib cage

Blood Deficiency: Heart palpitations, restless, irritable, fatigue, depression, anxiety, dizziness, insomnia, inability to concentrate, poor memory, muscle weakness, spasms, numbness, irritability; pain alleviated by pressure

Angelica Root – nourishes and invigorates blood to stop pain; especially beneficial for all female disorders

White Peony root – nourishes blood, soothes Liver, stops pain

Blood Stagnation: Heart palpitations, cold extremities (hands, feet, legs, arms), sharp stabbing pain, insomnia, dark or purplish coloration, restless; pain aggravated by pressure

Turmeric – aids with pain due to stagnation of blood

Lovage Root – invigorates blood, moves Qi, stops pain

Heat: Pain is aggravated by heat; red coloration with possible swelling

Phellodendrum bark – clears heat & inflammation, reduces swelling

Gypsum – strongly clears heat and inflammation to stop pain

Cold (Yang Deficiency or Cold Climate): Pain is aggravated by cold; pale, blue or purplish coloration with possible swelling

Peppers – contain Capsaicin (extremely hot): best for pain aggravated by cold 

Aconite – dispels cold to stop pain

Damp: Pain is aggravated by damp, humid conditions; swelling or edema

Ginger – aids in resolving damp/phlegm accumulations in joints; also helpful with nausea and vomiting due to damp/phlegm/food

Atractylodes – resolves dampness to stop pain, especially in knee and foot joints

Dry (Yin Deficiency or Dry Climate): Aggravated by dryness, low grade fever, irritability, irritability, dry mouth and throat, dry skin, thirst, restless, low back pain, bone pain, constipation due to dry stools

Foxglove Root – nourishes Blood to stop pain, relieves dryness

Scrophularia root – clears heat nourishes Yin, purges heat, relieves toxity to stop pain

Food Stagnation: Stagnation of food in the gastrointestinal track can cause pain in the chest, abdomen, rib cage, back and intestines.

Pinellia rhizome – dries damp accumulations, lowers adverse Qi to stop nausea, vomiting and pain

Hawthorn fruit – dissipates clumps, reduces food stagnation for abdominal distention, pain, chest pain

Caution! Do not self medicate. To determine the correct herbal combinations for your specific type of pain, obtain an herbal consultation with an Oriental Medical practitioner to get an accurate diagnosis and proper course of treatment recommendation.