Melancholia

Type 1: Globus hystericus
Symptoms:
Emotional depression, distress of the chest, eructation, feeling something in the throat which can neither swallowed nor spitted out without interfering normal meal, suspiciouness, sighing, thin, white and greasy fur, wiry or slippery pulse.
Principle of treatment:
Dispersing the depressed liver-energy and vital energy, clearing away fire and eliminating sputum. Select the points from the Ren Meridian, the Liver Meridian of Foot-Jueyin, the Stomach Meridian of Foot-Yangming, the Lung Meridian of Hand-Taiyin, the Heart Meridian of Hand-Shaoyin. Puncture with both reinforcing and reducing methods.
Prescription:
Taichong (LR3) Shu-Stream, Yuan-Source Point (Taichong (LR3) Shu-Stream, Yuan-Source Point), Danzhong (CV17) Front-Mu Point of the Pericardium (RN17), Fenglong (ST40) Luo-Connecting Point (Fenglong (ST40) Luo-Connecting Point), Yuji (LU10) Ying-Spring Point (Yuji (LU10) Ying-Spring Point), and Shenmen (HT7) Shu-Stream, Yuan-Primary Point (Shenmen (HT7) Shu-Stream, Yuan-Primary Point).
Modification according to symptoms:
For dry and pain throat, Tianding (LI17) (Tianding (LI17)), Shangyang (LI1) Jing-Well Point (Shangyang (LI1) Jing-Well Point) are added. For insomnia, apply moxibustion at Lidui (ST45) Jing-Well Point (Lidui (ST45) Jing-Well Point).
Type 2: Zangzao (Visceral fidget)
Symptoms:
Trance, frequent grief, unreasonable joy and anger due to emotional stimulation, accompanied with fullness of epigastrium, anorexia, palpitation, insomnia, listlessness, sallow complexion, pale tongue, thin and slow pulse due to deficiency of both heart and spleen, accompanied with dizziness, tinnitus, flushed complexion, feverish sensation in hands, excessive perspiration, soreness of the loins, poor memory, insomnia due to vexation, red tongue with thin fur, tiny and rapid pulse. These are due to deficiency of heart-yin and kidney-yin.
Principle of treatment:
Nourshing yin and supplementing the vital energy, tranquillizing the mind by nourishing the heart. Select Back-Shu points, points from the Pericardium Meridian of Hand-Jueyin, the Spleen Meridian of Foot-Taiyin. Puncture with reinforcing method.
Prescription:
Geshu (BL17) (Geshu (BL17)),Shenshu (BL23) (Shenshu (BL23)), Xinshu (BL15) ( Xinshu (BL15)), Neiguan (PC6) Luo-Connecting Point the Eight Confluent Point (Neiguan (PC6) Luo-Connecting Point the Eight Confluent Point), and Sanyinjiao (SP6) (Sanyinjiao (SP6)).
Modification according to symptoms:
For haziness, Shuigou (GV26) (DU26), Zhongchong (PC9) Jing-Well Point (Zhongchong (PC9) Jing-Well Point) are added. For trembling of palms and soles, Taichong (LR3), Yanglingquan (GB34) He-Sea Point, Influential Point of Tendon (Yanglingquan (GB34) He-Sea Point, Influential Point of Tendon) are added. For numbness, Baihui (GV20) (DU20), Daling (PC7) Shu-Stream, Yuan-Source Point (Daling (PC7) Shu-Stream, Yuan-Source Point) are added. For lockjaw, Hegu (LI4) Yuan-Source Point (Hegu (LI4) Yuan-Source Point), Jiache (ST6) (Jiache (ST6)) are added. For hiccup, Zhongwan (CV12) Front-Mu Point of the Stomach (RN12), Zusanli (ST36) He-Sea Point (Zusanli (ST36) He-Sea Point) are added. For aphasia, Tongli (HT5) Luo-Connecting Point (Tongli (HT5) Luo-Connecting Point) is added. For deafness, Tinghui (GB2) (Tinghui (GB2)), Zhongzhu (KI15) (SJ3) are added.
Cautions and precautions:
The disease should be differentiated from the similar symptoms due to organic diseases of the brain, including cerebral tumor, cerebral arteriosclerosis, cerebral injury. Distress and pain of the chest and difficult swallowing should be differentiated from diseases of esophagus.

Key Words: melancholia, acupuncture