Sick body and sick mind requires early treatment

By Ko Jeong-min

Yes, there are definitely more people around the world having “sick mind,” mainly neuropsychiatric disorders like anxiety, depression, insomnia, and panic disorder to name a few. It is no more a shame to be treated for these kinds of conditions since any one can come along with at least one of them in a lifetime. It may bother one for very short period of time, but may also linger for years as to ruin one’s life.

With numbers of patients with neuropsychiatric disorders increasing, there are interests and inquiries for treatment with Korean medicine more than ever: some seek for herbal medicine after being frustrated by western medication, others who want to quit their long-time western medication, and some other may want to be treated naturally and want other conditions improved as well.

Sick mind and sick body are considered as one in Korean medicine. The two root for each other and they are inseparable. The treatment for the sick mind also takes a thorough look at the person, not just the sick mind.

Sick mind ruins the person’s life: the person may not far in the traffic, the person may not give a presentation in front of an audience, the person may not sit for a while in a crowded room, the person may not endure other peoples’ looking at, the person may not help being calm, the person has constant headache from insomnia almost every day, etc.

And when the persons’ condition maintains for more than months over even a year, even close family members or close friends think the person is “weird” than “sick”, and consulting such patient reveals this is one of the biggest problem they have to deal with besides the sick mind itself. Unless the acquaintance has been in the same shoes, it won’t be possible for him or her to be understanding for more and more time, and the thing is that this sick mind does not appear in any radiographic examinations or endoscopic examinations. (People tend to think “normal” in medical examination means no need for any treatment.)

Neuropsychiatric conditions improve well with herbal medicine, acupuncture, moxibustion, and cupping. There are changes from one session to another in an improving way and also in an aggravating way. More than any other conditions of sick body, the person with neuropsychiatric condition should tell any medical information that is needed for treatment when asked by the doctor, and the doctor should also pay utmost attention when treating such conditions. One word or one sentence may influence the patient so much.

And for the person to be all treated for the sick mind and complete treatment of the sick mind, it may take time as months or even years. It will take a little longer when the person has been taking western medication for a long time. However, when time and efforts (of the doctors and patients) are put, Korean medicine can cure sick mind as completely as to say ‘healthy mind in healthy body.’ With increasingly more adults, young adults and even children having neuropsychiatric conditions, I hope Korean medicine provides good solutions.