Q Do herbal medicine or acupuncture actually work for PTSD? Trauma is a problem of the mind, so I'm not sure how Korean medicine could change anything.
A Problems of the mind also show up as physiological responses in the brain and autonomic nervous system. Acupuncture (HT7 Shenmen, PC6 Neiguan, GV20 Baihui) and herbal formulas in the Guibi-tang and Ondam-tang families have been clinically reported to have meaningful effects in calming an over-aroused autonomic nervous system and supporting sleep and psychological stability.
Detailed Answer
PTSD is a neurobiological state arising from functional imbalance in the brain's amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. Herbal medicine and acupuncture work by regulating the autonomic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis response, lowering the state of hyperarousal, improving sleep quality, and reducing anxiety and depressive symptoms. Clinical studies in Korea and abroad have reported that acupuncture provides complementary benefit compared with SSRIs alone.
Our Korean Medicine Clinic's Perspective
At Dongjedang, we approach this not as a replacement for EMDR, prolonged exposure therapy, or SSRI/SNRI medication, but as a complementary role. The strength of Korean medicine treatment lies in first stabilizing physical symptoms such as nightmares, insomnia, and hyperarousal, creating a state in which the patient can focus better on psychological therapy. Points such as Shenmen (HT7), Neiguan (PC6), and Baihui (GV20) are representative acupoints for tonifying the heart-mind and calming the gallbladder qi.
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