This paper examines bipolar disorder from the perspective of an acupuncture practitioner, covering the clinical presentation of both manic and depressive phases, hypomanic episodes, and mixed states. It reviews the epidemiology of bipolar disorder and then shifts to a Traditional Chinese Medicine framework, explaining how mania is understood as a disruption of the Husband-Wife energetic balance between ascending Yang and descending Yin forces. The paper draws on the work of Charles A. Moss to describe how Five-Element acupuncture — specifically the tonification technique — can be applied to restore this balance and relieve manic symptoms, offering acupuncturists a practical framework for responding to bipolar patients in clinical practice.
Imagine this scenario: you are working as an acupuncturist when a charming young female patient comes in and begins to complain about insomnia. As remarkable as it sounds, she has had little more than two hours of sleep each night for over a month. What is even more unusual is that the young woman appears to be completely bubbly and energetic — she even looks perfectly healthy from a physical standpoint.
The young woman is talking feverishly, as though she is unable to stop. She begins talking about her sister, and she is incredibly enthusiastic about this person, whom she clearly loves dearly. You begin to think this sister must be waiting outside. Then it dawns on you: this sister does not actually exist outside of the young woman's mind.
While she does not appear to be dangerous, it is clear that the young woman is mentally disturbed. In fact, she shows many of the signs of bipolar disorder. How, then, do you go about addressing this issue as an acupuncturist?
It is probably no coincidence that the young woman has come to see you. It is even likely that she is aware of her bipolarity and is looking for some relief. Numerous studies have been conducted in recent years that have generated both scholarly and popular interest in acupuncture as a means of relieving bipolar disorders.
Before addressing this problem as acupuncturists, however, we must first familiarize ourselves with the symptoms of bipolar disorder. Bipolarity is a disorder generally characterized by alternating periods of "highs" and "lows." During the "highs," the patient typically experiences a prolonged state of ecstatic jubilation, which may be accompanied by sleeplessness, incessant talking, and heightened ambitions. During the "lows," on the other hand, the patient experiences severe depression for a prolonged period of time — depression so debilitating that the patient may be unable to function normally and will refuse to leave the house or see friends, family, and acquaintances.
In the example above, the young female patient is clearly experiencing the "highs." This is also known as the manic phase of bipolar disorder. Some of the other signs and symptoms indicating that a patient is experiencing mania include poor judgment, extreme irritability, an inflated sense of feeling and/or self-esteem, increased physical activity, recklessness, an inability to concentrate for prolonged periods, and a tendency to be easily distracted.
It is also possible that a patient might seek out an acupuncturist when experiencing the low end of bipolar disorder. Common signs and symptoms of a bipolar-based depression include thoughts of suicide, disruptions in one's sleeping and/or eating cycle, an inability to concentrate for prolonged periods of time, fatigue, and a loss of interest in day-to-day life.
While mania and depression are the two extreme poles that give bipolarity its name, there are also in-between states that many patients suffering from this disorder will experience. There is a milder form of mania, for instance, known as a hypomanic episode, in which patients display manic symptoms for a period of three or four days. If the manic episode lasts for a week or longer, as is the case with the patient described above, then the patient is experiencing full-blown mania.
It is also somewhat common for bipolar patients to experience mixed episodes. These episodes involve "swinging" back and forth from one pole to the other, with the patient experiencing symptoms of both mania and depression within the same day.
From international surveys, we have come to learn that around 1.5% of all adults suffer from bipolar disorders. The average bipolar patient experiences around four episodes within a ten-year time span. There are those patients, however, who experience recurring episodes throughout their lives. Thus, it is quite likely that an acupuncturist will encounter a bipolar patient at some point in their practice.
"Mania explained via Husband-Wife energetic imbalance"
"Moss's needle tonification protocol for manic episodes"
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