Emotional Health

Alderman Medical has fast, effective solutions for Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and Sleep Disorders.

We know that stress may cause heart disease and cancer. But most of us are unaware of the many other emotional, cognitive and physical consequences of unmanaged stress. Many of life situations create stressors. It’s our attitudes and learned behaviors that can transform stress so that it will make you more productive and less self-destructive or you can fall deeper into emotional states of anger, anxiety, fear and depression. It is not unusual to hear ourselves talk with friends, coworkers, and family members about the difficulty we have with managing the stress of everyday living. We talk about being burned out, overwhelmed and "losing it." We also hear and talk about our efforts to control the events that cause stress, and most of us understand the results of not controlling our reactions to stress and seeking timely solutions.

At we understand that your emotional health is a major contributor to internal disease and your overall health and vitality. Traditional Chinese Medicine is based upon maintaining the balance and flow of energy in the body. The balance of the seven emotional states of joy, anger, anxiety, pensiveness, grief, fear and fright are paramount factors in keeping the doors open or closed to the disease process. These emotional states are normally experienced just as our weather climates exist and change with the seasons. Emotions are primal forces that are experienced in our everyday lives and cause no weakness or disease. But when an excess of any one motion becomes uncontrollable and possess a person the flood gates to disease are left wide open and disease will occur.

We, as humans are a biochemical electrical mass of energy striving to maintain a balance of these energetic forces. This homeostatic balance is disrupted when stressors cause emotional states to predominate and intensify. The emotional intensity can be a factor in causing disease but it is the prolonged and protracted duration of the emotional state that causes our energy to flare, disperse, become sluggish, slow and wither, depending on the specific emotional excess.

The natural flow of energy (Qi) in our body is impaired by prolonged and intensified emotional states of the seven emotions…

Experience Matters

Dr. Alderman's almost three decades of experience recognizes and understands the profound and tangible effects of how the emotions influence our health and disease. He specializes in treating stress, depression and anxiety disorders.

At Alderman Medical stress, anxiety disorders and depression are the most common emotional imbalance treated. Anxiety is America's No. 1 mental health problem. It costs billions and ruins lives. And it's on the rise. Anxiety effects at least 19 million people ages 18 to 54 each year, or 13% of adults, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Anxiety is also the leading mental health problem among the trick-or-treat set, affecting 13 million youngsters ages 9 to 17. The cost of this disorder: more than $42 billion a year in doctor bills and workplace losses. And those are conservative, low-ball numbers, experts say.

The Following Anxiety Disorders Are Treated Successfully

• Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder (ADD / ADHD)
  
  
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
  
  
• Panic Attacks
  
  
• Substance-induced Anxiety Disorder
  
  
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
  
  
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  
  
• Phobias

Traditional Oriental Medicine which includes acupuncture has dramatic answers and gets RESULTS with stress, anxiety and depression.

In 1998, the NIH's Office of Alternative Medicine funded a study at the University of Arizona. A 16-week trial on 34 seriously depressed women. A standard treatment plan was developed that targeted certain "depression points" on the body. They also devised a dummy treatment calling for needles in nonspecific places. The acupuncturists administering the treatment had no idea whether they were using the real plan or the dummy plan.

Then the subjects were divided into three groups. The first group received the depression-specific acupuncture, the second group got the dummy treatment, and the third group was put on a wait list before being placed on eight weeks of the real thing.

Following the treatment, the depression-specific groups experienced a 43 percent reduction in their symptoms compared with a 22 percent reduction for the dummy group. More than half no longer met the criteria for clinical depression. Only five people dropped out of the study - two who moved away, one who became pregnant, and two who didn't like the needles. The dropout rate was much lower than for studies using medications.

Clinical Studies On Acupuncture For Depression

47 patients diagnosed as having clinical depression 5-6 months mean duration were randomly assigned to receive either acupuncture or medication Elavil.

Using Hamilton Depression Scale and The Clinical Global Impression (CGI) rating in both groups. No between- group differences were detected. The CGI index also found significantly fewer side effects in the acupuncture group.

Diagnosing Clinical Depression
In order for a person to be diagnosed with depression, four or five of the following symptoms must persist for two weeks, and not be due to another physical condition, medication, alcohol, drugs, or normal bereavement:

• Persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, worthlessness
• Weight loss or gain
• Lose of all interest in pleasurable activities, including sex
• Fatigue
• Sleep disturbances
• Irritability
• Guilt
• Poor concentration or indecision
• Abnormal thoughts of death and suicide

Does western medicine’s treatment for depression fall short? Prescription drugs tend to mask the symptoms and unfortunately cause a myriad of side effects that equal and/or are similar to depressions symptoms.

Looking at the side-effect of anti-depressive drugs
Antidepressants may cause side effects (sometimes referred to as adverse effects) in some people.

• Dry mouth
• Constipation
• Bladder problems emptying the bladder may be troublesome, and the urine stream may not be as strong as usual; the doctor should be notified if there is marked difficulty or pain.
• Sexual problems sexual functioning may change; if worrisome, it should be discussed with the doctor.
• Blurred vision
• Dizziness
• Drowsiness. A person feeling drowsy or sedated should not drive or operate heavy equipment. The more sedating antidepressants are generally taken at bedtime to help sleep and minimize daytime drowsiness.
• The newer antidepressants have different types of side effects:
• Headache
• Nausea
• Nervousness and insomnia (trouble falling asleep or waking often during the night)
• Agitation (feeling jittery)
• Listlessness
• Fatigue

Hope and Results are just a phone call away….
Dr. John Alderman is one of Idaho’s most experienced Doctor of Oriental Medicine and licensed Acupuncturist. Make the appointment that can help you regain your life. Dr. Alderman's decades of experience can re-pattern your learned and perceived behaviors. His acupuncture treatment protocols, and herbal strategies calm, and bring an inner peace and relaxation naturally. Treating the root and not masking the symptoms means RESULTS!

REMEMBER… If your mind and body can get out of balance you have the ability to regenerate balanced thoughts, feelings and expressions. Your past does not equal the future. Let Dr. Alderman guide you back NATURALLY.

We have what you want…RESULTS Call 208-336-6757 or click here to schedule your appointment.

“When an emotional state dominates our behavior and our internal experience, the natural smooth flow of energy (Qi) is disrupted affecting health and balance in our daily lives.”                                                   ~John L. Alderman, O.M.D., L.Ac., D.N.B.A.O

Joy
In TCM joy refers to a state of agitation or over excitement. "When one is excessively joyful, the spirit scatters and can no longer be stored," states the Lingshu (The Vital Axis). However, in TCM, joy refers to a state of agitation or overexcitement, rather than the more passive notion of deep contentment. The organ most affected is the heart. Over-stimulation can lead to problems of heart fire connected with such symptoms as feelings of agitation, insomnia and palpitations.

Anger
Anger, as described by TCM, covers the full range of associated emotions including resentment, irritability, and frustration. An excess of rich blood makes one prone to anger. Anger will thus affect the liver, resulting in stagnation of liver qi (vital energy). This can lead to liver energy rising to the head, resulting in headaches, dizziness, and other symptoms. In the long run it can result in high blood pressure and can cause problems with the stomach and the spleen. It is commonly observed that ruddy, "full-blooded" people with flushed faces are more prone than others to sudden fits of rage at the slightest provocation.

Anxiety
"When one feels anxiety, the qi (vital energy) is blocked and does not move." Anxiety injures the lungs, which control qi (vital energy) through breathing. Common symptoms of extreme anxiety are retention of breath, shallow, and irregular breathing. The shortage of breath experienced during periods of anxiety is common to everyone. Anxiety also injures the lungs' coupled organ, the large intestine. For example, over-anxious people are prone to ulcerative colitis.

Pensiveness
In TCM, pensiveness or concentration is considered to be the result of thinking too much or excessive mental and intellectual stimulation. Any activity that involves a lot of mental effort will run the risk of causing disharmony. The organ most directly at risk is the spleen. This can lead to a deficiency of spleen qi (vital energy), in turn causing worry and resulting in fatigue, lethargy, and inability to concentrate.

Grief
The lungs are more directly involved with this emotion. A normal and healthy expression of grief can be expressed as sobbing that originates in the depths of the lungs - deep breathes and the expulsion of air with the sob. However, grief that remains unresolved and becomes chronic can create disharmony in the lungs, weakening the lung qi (vital energy). This in turn can interfere with the lung's function of circulating qi (vital energy) around the body.

Fear
Fear is a normal and adaptive human emotion. But when it becomes chronic and when the perceived cause of the fear cannot be directly addressed, then this is likely to lead to disharmony. The organs most at risk are the kidneys. In cases of extreme fright, the kidney's ability to hold qi (vital energy) may be impaired leading to involuntary urination. This can be a particular problem with children.

Fright
Fright is another emotion not specifically related to only one organ. It is distinguished from fear by its sudden, unexpected nature. Fright primarily affects the heart, especially in the initial stages, but if it persists for some time, it becomes conscious fear and moves to the kidneys.

• Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder (ADD / ADHD) is a condition characterized by poor self-regulation. The person with ADD has difficulty inhibiting their spontaneous responses.
  
  
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) —Constant, exaggerated worrisome thoughts and tension about everyday routine life events and activities, lasting at least six months. Almost always anticipating the worst even though there is little reason to expect it; accompanied by physical symptoms, such as fatigue, trembling, muscle tension, headache, or nausea. GAD accounts for half or more of all anxiety disorders.
  
  
• Substance-Induced Anxiety Disorder - One out of three alcoholics experiences episodes of intense depression and/or severe anxiety, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).
  
  
• Panic Disorder—Repeated episodes of intense fear that strike often and without warning. Physical symptoms include chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, abdominal distress, feelings of unreality, and fear of dying.
  
  
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) —Repeated, unwanted thoughts or compulsive behaviors that seem impossible to stop or control.
  
  
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)—Persistent symptoms that occur after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event such as rape or other criminal assault, war, child abuse, natural or human-caused disasters, or crashes. Nightmares, flashbacks, numbing of emotions, depression, and feeling angry, irritable or distracted and being easily startled are common. Family members of victims can also develop this disorder.
  
  
• Phobias—Two major types of phobias are social phobia and specific phobia. People with social phobia have an overwhelming and disabling fear of scrutiny, embarrassment, or humiliation in social situations, which leads to avoidance of many potentially pleasurable and meaningful activities. People with specific phobia experience extreme, disabling, and irrational fear of something that poses little or no actual danger; the fear leads to avoidance of objects or situations and can cause people to limit their lives unnecessarily.
  

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