Q I thought it was hwa-byung, but they said it's depression. Can they be treated together?
A Hwa-byung and depression very frequently occur together, and Korean medicine treatment can address both symptoms in an integrated way.
Detailed Answer
A considerable number of hwa-byung patients are also diagnosed with depression or anxiety disorder. When emotional suppression leads to lethargy and sadness, it develops into depression; when it leads to anxiety and panic, it develops into an anxiety disorder. Depression treatment (antidepressants plus CBT) and Korean medicine treatment for hwa-byung are complementary, and the physical symptoms not resolved by psychiatric treatment alone (heat sensation, foreign-body sensation) are addressed directly by Korean medicine.
Korean Medicine Clinic Perspective
In Korean medicine, hwa-byung accompanied by depression is a state in which liver-qi stagnation has invaded the heart and spleen. At Dongjedang, we prescribe soothing the liver and nourishing the heart and spleen simultaneously, improving together both the pent-up resentment of hwa-byung and the lethargy of depression. A prescription combining Bupleurum, Angelica, white peony, and longan flesh is effective for addressing both symptoms in an integrated way.
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