Myunghee Kim Researcher
Oriental Medicine Mental Health Center (KMMH)
Kyung Hee University, Department of Oriental Neuropsychiatry, Ph.D.
While the corona pandemic is turning into an endemic, the recent spread of monkeypox virus in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia means that it is now entering an endemic process like the flu.
These days, even at the opening of oriental clinics, more and more patients are coming to the hospital due to the sequelae of ‘pandemic stress’ of ‘body and mind’.
In the past, seonhak ‘Heo Jun’ published ‘Shinchan Byeok Onbang’ when the plague (cholera) broke out during the Japanese Invasion of Imjin, and then, as smallpox (smallpox) spread, he compiled ‘Eonhaehaechangjipyo’ (1601), suffering from plague and endemic diseases physically and mentally. He provided a useful clinical book to these weary people.
As such, oriental medicine has been used for thousands of years in the unity of mind and body, soul (Thursday), God (Tuesday), Ui (Sat), Baek (Gold), and Ji (Wed) in a mutually beneficial and polar relationship. It has been proven to be excellent in clinical practice.
clinical case
A woman in her 30s, along with her mother, came to the hospital complaining of headaches, vertigo, chest tightness, irritability, and even irritable enteritis. “The stress (burnout syndrome) that has continued throughout her career has been getting worse since the promotion,” she complained with bloodshot eyes and a weak voice.
Oriental Doctor: What’s the hardest?
Patient: (as if sadly) Even in the midst of a pandemic, there is always a lot of work. Give too much work from above. The work never ends.
Oriental Doctor: If you do your job perfectly, you will be recognized for your abilities at work.
Patient: Seniors like it. But as a team leader, you have to take care of your team members who cannot work. When I do that, my work increases again and I am always late for work.
Oriental doctor: (with sympathetic eyes) I have to do housework, and it must be very difficult.
Patient: (Tears welling up) Because I am tired, I can’t do housework well, I can’t do my husband well, and I’m always sorry. I’m always nervous, waking up, and getting sick here and there… I think I’m not good at it, I think I’m incompetent. It’s always like this, so my parents are worried.
Mother: (with a worried expression) She is the youngest daughter and she is good at studies and is good at everything. It’s a pity that she doesn’t take care of her often because she’s close and far from where she lives.
Patient: Because I am tired and sick all the time, I am sorry to my husband and I am also sorry to my parents. I should do well, but I can’t, so I feel incompetent and I’m so depressed.
Oriental Doctor: I’m still doing well. At work, at home… By the way, who do I feel sorry for the most and who should I do my best?
Patient: Yes? (with a puzzled expression)
Oriental doctor: What do you think being tired, upset, and depressed can tell you?
Patient: Oh. Yes… it’s hard (as if realizing something… your eyes become calm).
Oriental Doctor: A mother will also want her daughter to be happy as the first priority.
Mother: (nods head)
Oriental Doctor: What can I do to be happy now?
Patient: Um, I need to cut back on work a little… and pay less attention to the work of my teammates and leave work on time as much as possible.
Oriental Doctor: (Closes eyes and smiles) That’s right. I have my own rest time, and a competent team leader builds self-confidence and develops their own survival skills to work.
Patient: Talking to the teacher already relieves my stress. I need time to take care of myself (laughs).
The author decided that it was necessary to promote the mental activity of the brain, which is dedicated to the mind for both mental and physical diseases, and to transmit the regenerated memories and to calm and purify the stress.
First, we focused on anxiety, depression, and stress at work, which are directly related to survival, and consulted with the ‘recession toilet therapy’, which stabilizes the mind so that the emotional energy of the limbic system can be released naturally in any form.
In addition, the meaning of life in the workplace and the objectification of being a competent and necessary person was made to communicate with oneself and find the life force, the self.
This patient was diagnosed with liver disorder and spleen weakness caused by overwork of the body due to overwork at work.
The patient, who came back to the hospital after taking herbal medicine, was delighted, saying, “I feel more comfortable and my head doesn’t hurt. After leaving work on time, my husband and I went for a walk and listened to music together, and our relationship got better.” took herbal medicine.
The patient, who came to the hospital with a bright-faced mother and smiled this spring, said, “The long-awaited first child was born in good health, so my husband is also happy.”
Mental Health Medicine Brain Research Method: Observation with the Spirit, God, Eui, Baek, and Geosin Theory
As seen in the above case, the reason that I was able to find confidence by overcoming workplace stress was that I had a strong will to cure the disease and the support of my family, which puts subjectivity in the vitality and dialectically solved life phenomena structurally. Burnout’ could also be cured.
In oriental medicine, for mental disorders that cause anxiety, fear, and fear as traumatic memories remain as trauma in the limbic system of the brain, ‘Ijeongbyeongi therapy’, ‘Jieongoron therapy’, ‘Oji ascending position’, and emotional freedom technique (EFT) has been treating the body and mind together.
It can be seen that certainty can only be strengthened only by observing the occurrence of this disease, which is not only caused by stress, but also in various groups of mental health diseases.
The Korean Medicine Mental Health Center (KMMH) is also planning to help the clinical trial at the clinic as well as promote human mental health by adapting the research system of innovative technology development projects, such as the ‘brain research project’, which is being developed, in line with the epidemiologic composition of mental health medicine.