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While receiving care at NUHS ’ Veteran ’ s Clinic , the patient received care from different interns every six weeks as part of standard clinical rotations . At first , the patient would show improvements but when new interns provided care , his symptoms would worsen . After discovering this , Dr . Martin took over the patient ’ s care and was able to establish trust .
2 . UNDERSTAND THE MECHANISM BEHIND THE CONDITION
The mechanisms , or what causes schizophrenia and DID , should be well understood before assigning treatment . How the condition affects the body can influence the acupuncture points that are used . It also helps to look at acupuncture from a physiological perspective , not just a TCM perspective . This helps patients and other health care professionals better understand the care .
On a physiological level , schizophrenia and DID can cause alterations in the levels of neurotransmitters like GABA and dopamine . This can significantly impair cognitive functions , causing delusions . Dopamine receptors , which affect movement , emotions and the reward system , can also be abnormal . NMDA receptors , which help regulate memory function , may be defective as well , disrupting neuronal function .
3 . USE ACUPUNCTURE POINTS THAT RELIEVE ANXIETY , LOWER STRESS LEVELS AND IMPROVE OVERALL MOOD
While there aren ’ t many studies directly related to acupuncture ’ s effectiveness for schizophrenia and DID , research has shown that certain acupuncture points can help regulate GABA levels , which can help induce a state of calm not just in DID patients , but patients with anxiety as well . Studies have also shown acupuncture can help with withdrawal symptoms from addiction , which , like schizophrenia and DID , affects dopamine and GABA levels .
According to a 2019 study , another one of the physiological effects of acupuncture is that it helps reduce cortisol , which controls stress levels . In the patient , stress is one of the factors that exponentially aggravates his symptoms . By reducing stress levels , other personas the patient experienced , particularly the negative ones , came up less . The positive persona , who defended him against the other voices , showed up more often .
While the patient in the case study still experiences different personas during certain times of the year , typically associated with family such as the Fourth of July , Thanksgiving and Christmas , he was eventually able to do regular day-today things , including going to the gym for the first time in years and even taking part in a group yoga class--something he was never able to do before . When he started to feel normal , he felt better .
It ’ s important to recognize that when treating a mental health condition , most likely you ’ re not going to cure the condition , but you will see some improvements that help the patient manage his condition and experience a better quality of life .
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