Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
When I was walking around Bear Creek park, the air was chilly, and you could see the autumn foliage falling. Some trees are bald, as the crinkling leaves start to pile up on the ground. You know fall is here, and it’s almost winter.
As the daylight gets shorter, our body adjusts to the difference. This is the time we should pay
attention to seasonal affective disorder(SAD).
Seasonal affective disorder describes episodes of major depression and mania in particular seasons. It’s mostly common in higher latitudes and less in countries near the equator. Seasonal affective disorder is not as simple as feeling down when the season changes. It can be a potentially debilitating disorder to a person who is troubled by it.
The onset is usually around fall to winter and spring to summer. Clinically there are more winter depressions than summer depressions. Just like other psychological disorders, patients with seasonal affective disorder can show many overlapping signs and symptoms such as appetite, sleep pattern, cognitive, motivation, and drive changes.
The TCM Perspective:
Fall is the season of lung Qi according to Chinese medicine. The season of fall manifests as withering and dryness. Our lung and lung meridians are greatly affected by this Qi. Lung dominates the emotion of sadness. Therefore if a person is weak in lung Qi, or easily affected by the change of season, it’s a good idea to take preventive measures to sail through this seasonal change.
In the fall, our qi can start to dwindle and submerge. That’s because our body is preparing to preserve vitality, just like after the autumn harvest. After the winter harvest, we rely on the food we store and sleep in a little more.
During the transition of fall to winter, the lung and kidney Qi are the ones that need to be preserved. As the lung dominates the emotion of sadness, the kidney dominates the emotion of fear. Any deficiency in lung and kidney or any obstruction on the meridians can show psychologically.
In my clinical experience, treating SAD is not just about what herbs or acupoints to use.
The majority of efficacy actually lies in lifestyle modification. As fall and winter are the seasons of preservation, it’s exactly what modern society is lacking. We as a collective community, often work a little too much, eat a little too much and drink a little too much. This overabundance gave us a sense that we could work, eat and drink indefinitely.
In TCM, when there is too much of anything, it can cause stagnation and then eventually lead to deficiency. The best way to combat SAD is actually moving and food. Movement can increase our body’s production of serotonin, and food that is less processed and rich in vitamin D and omega-3 can also help our mood.
There are some acupoints that are safe to massage at home to boost the mood. My favorite is Kidney 6 (Zhao Hai). Kidney 6 can be used for insomnia, headache, feeling sluggish or heavy, and short term memory loss.
Of course, in modern times, we have medication for almost everything a human can get. But when we give our body a little extra, we are rewarded with a better quality of life.
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