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Treatment for OCD is challenging and often is unsuccessful. The strategy of treatment for OCD depends on how much it’s affecting your life. There are different clinical approaches to treatment for OCD, but one of the most popular is the use of medications.
Medications for OCD
This is usually a type of antidepressant medicine that can help by altering the balance of chemicals in your brain. The main medicines prescribed are a type of antidepressant called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). An SSRI can help improve OCD symptoms by increasing the levels of a chemical called serotonin in your brain.
These treatments for OCD can be very effective, but it’s important to be aware that there are possible side effects like feeling agitated, shaky or anxious, feeling or being sick, diarrhea or constipation, dizziness, sleeping problems (insomnia), headaches, low sex drive.
There’s also a very small chance that SSRIs could cause you to have suicidal thoughts or want to self-harm.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder, also known as OCD, affects millions of people around the world and is more common than previously thought. It is only one of many anxiety disorders that can lead to panic and anxiety attack symptoms. The World Health Organization (WHO) ranks OCD as the tenth most debilitating illness of any kind in terms of loss of earnings and reduced quality of life.
Multiple studies found that the effectiveness of allopathic treatment for OCD is virtually equal to the effectiveness of the placebo.
What is OCD?
OCD, or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, is an anxiety-related disorder that can occur in children as well as adults. People with OCD have persistent, reoccurring thoughts or obsessions, about unfounded and exaggerated fears.
These obsessions of fear can be about almost anything, but will typically involve being contaminated, behaving improperly, or being violent. These fears usually lead to doing repetitive rituals or routines, called compulsions, such as repeated hand washing, counting, repeating phrases, and hoarding, and is an attempt to deal with the fear and anxiety.
Types of OCD
There have been five types of OCD identified. Here are the basic fears that tend to bring out obsessive-compulsive behavior:
Aversion to Dirt and Germs
Nicknamed the ‘Washers and Cleaners’, these patients are continually worried that they will get dirt or germs on them. Being contaminated by germs is this patient’s worst fear. These individuals display such OCD behavior as washing their clothes multiple times before wearing them, scouring surfaces they have already scrubbed, and washing their hands five or six times in a row.
Scared of Catastrophe
An unreasonable feeling of imminent doom follows these patients wherever they go. Checkers live with inordinate fear that failure to re-check things (doors, on and off switches) over and over will cause harm to themselves and others. They prepare routines that are often so comprehensive that there is no time left in their day for common daily tasks.
Fear of Disorderliness
Constantly find themselves arranging things the “right” way. They expend a lot of time organizing things and feel much stressed if their things are rearranged, moved, or even touched.
Fear of Nasty Thoughts
The ‘Obsessions’ find themselves unable to discontinue their thoughts from turning to injuring someone. To banish their horrifying thoughts, they may sing a word over and over or count to the highest number they can.
The hoarders
Fear of throwing something away in case it is needed. The ‘Hoarders’ are aptly named, as they pile up everything and decline to throw anything away. The thought of someday needing something that they may have thrown away at a former time can be so paralyzing for these people that they will not throw away one solitary item. They also collect a mound of potentially practical items but have so many of them that they could never put them all to good use.
Symptoms of OCD
Symptoms of OCD vary between adults and children. An older child or a teenager with OCD may fear that he will become ill with germs or contaminated food. To cope with his/her feelings, a child may develop “rituals” (a behavior or activity that gets repeated). Sometimes the obsession and compulsion are linked; “I fear this bad thing will happen if I stop checking or hand washing, so I can’t stop even if it doesn’t make any sense.”
Research shows that OCD is a brain disorder and tends to run in families, although this doesn’t mean the child will develop symptoms if a parent has the disorder. A child may also develop OCD with no previous family history.
Children and adolescents often feel shame and embarrassment about their OCD. Many fear it means they’re crazy and are hesitant to talk about their thoughts and behaviors. Good communication between parents and children can increase understanding of the problem and help the parents appropriately support their child.
Symptoms of OCD in adults
Symptoms of OCD in adults involves obsessions, compulsions, or both. These can cause distress and interfere with the person’s ability to perform routine activities.
Obsession symptoms of OCD in adults
- Losing control, such as the fear of acting on an urge to self-harm or hurt others
- Perfectionism, which may involve the fear of losing things or an intense focus on exactness or remembering things
- Harm, including a fear of being responsible for a catastrophic event
- Unwanted sexual thoughts, including thoughts about inappropriate activities
- Religious or superstitious beliefs, such as a concern about offending God or stepping on cracks in the sidewalk
Compulsions symptoms of OCD in adults
- Not every repetitious behavior is a compulsion. Most people use repetitive behaviors, such as bedtime routines, to help them manage everyday life. Listed below are compulsions symptoms of OCD in adult
- Washing and cleaning, including hand washing
- Repeating routine activities, such as getting up from a chair
- Mental compulsions, such as repeatedly reviewing an event
Symptoms of OCD in children
Children don’t always express their emotions out loud because they don’t know how to. This is why it’s so important to look for the actions that children are doing as they grow up. For example, some children will start hoarding things. This might not be their toys; it could be things like food, gum wrappers, stickers, or other small items. If they are becoming obsessed with one item, that is a huge sign that OCD might be in the works.
One of the most common symptoms of OCD in a child is excessive cleaning. While most parents would feel this is a good thing, it can show that a child is developing a ritual and compulsion. Parents can identify excessive cleaners by keeping track of their cleaning supplies and just taking notice of the cleanliness of their space, especially the bedroom of the child. Parents have to keep a close eye on their children when they feel there is a mental illness like OCD on the horizon. Listed below are the most common symptoms of OCD in children.
Obsessions symptoms of OCD in children:
- Fear of harm or danger to loved one or self (i.e., if I count to five every time I talk to my father, he won’t die)
- A need for perfection (i.e., re-writing an assignment instead of erasing a mistake)
- Fear of losing something valuable
- A need for symmetry and order
- Intrusive words or sounds
- Aggressive/sexual thoughts
- Religious fixations
Compulsions symptoms of OCD in children:
- Washing and rewashing hands to avoid exposure to germs
- Arranging or ordering objects in a very specific way
- Repeating a name, phrase, or tune
- Counting or touching rituals
- Hoarding or saving useless items
- Seeking reassurance or doing things until they seem perfect
Natural treatment for OCD
Natural treatment for OCD is one of the best approaches to treatment for OCD with no side effects and has been proven to be effective in the recovery of OCD. Listed below are the most common and effective natural treatments for OCD
Meditation for OCD – popular natural treatment for OCD
Meditation for OCD is one of the best natural treatments for OCD that has been proven to be the best methods of avoiding and treating OCD.
If you’re suffering from OCD, you won’t be able to focus on anything properly. You’re going to be put through a series of uncomforting thoughts and compulsions to avoid confrontation and facing tough situations. Therefore, the art of meditation will be great for you. Meditation for OCD leads to mindfulness. Mindfulness is when a person becomes aware of their thoughts without any judgment for them. This mindfulness helps people with OCD feel more in tune with their true feelings instead of losing mental control.
Yoga for OCD – traditional Indian natural treatment for OCD
In 2004, Shannahoff-Khalsa published an article in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, reporting positive results in the treatment of OCD with Kundalini Yoga. In the research, five persons that regularly performed exercises of Kundalini Yoga stated that they improved the manifestation of their symptoms by over 50%!
In the first trial by Shannahoff-Khalsa & Beckett in 1996, the intervention group showed an average improvement of 55.6% in their score on the OCD scale. In the last RCT, conducted by Shannahoff-Khalsa and colleagues in 1999, groups of patients were randomly assigned to twelve months of the kundalini meditation protocol or twelve months of using the relaxation response alongside mindfulness meditation. The kundalini yoga group demonstrated greater and statistically significant decreases in a number of OCD-related symptoms.
A study recently published in the Interdisciplinary International Journal of Dev Sanskriti University in Haridwar, India found that a combination of yoga, pranayama, and singing can be an effective way of treating symptoms of OCD.
Therapy for OCD – most common natural treatment for OCD
Therapy for OCD is one of the natural remedies for OCD that serves as a very strong guideline for sufferers to realize that they can resist their disorder.
Therapy for OCD can be separated into different categories which are listed below:
Cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT
- This is one of the therapy for OCD that aims to positively alter your mind, the way it thinks, and the way it works. Using cognitive therapy for OCD sufferers involves focusing on the disastrous thoughts the individual has as well as their assumed responsibility for them. A huge component of this is for the person to learn more effective ways of responding to these thoughts without exhibiting compulsive actions. Another component of cognitive therapy is exposure and response prevention. In this type of treatment, it is the source of the obsession that gets the focus. While exposing the individual to the source, they are encouraged to avoid following through with their obsessive behavior.
Self-help therapy
- This is a therapy for OCD that typically comes in the forms of reading books on the subject and books written by people who suffered from the condition in the past and found a way to overcome it; utilizing relaxation techniques, most notably yoga and mindfulness meditation; using relaxation sounds, normally on CDs or MP3s; and through attending support group meetings or their online equivalents. Whatever therapy for OCD you choose, it’s important to stick with it for long enough to affect. Far too many people with the condition jump around from idea to idea and fail to get the full benefit from each of these techniques.
Hypnotherapy for OCD – one of the most effective natural treatments for OCD
Hypnotherapy is a natural remedy for OCD that works with the unconscious mind, the part we are not aware of, or can influence normally. Hypnotherapy for OCD works by putting you in a relaxed state so that the hypnotherapist can access this part of the mind. Once accessed, they can then influence it using suggestion techniques.
Some of the techniques used in clinical hypnosis for OCD are similar to cognitive behavioral therapy, however, it works on an unconscious basis rather than a conscious one.
Hypnotherapy for OCD can be a helpful way to learn relaxation techniques and self-hypnosis. Many hypnotherapists will offer to show you self-hypnosis techniques, which you can then take from your sessions and apply to your everyday life. Clinical hypnosis for OCD is not guaranteed to work for everyone, however, it is a safe and natural approach that many find helpful. When used as a complementary therapy to support you, it can be a useful tool to help overcome mental health concerns like OCD.
Hypnosis for OCD – medical hypnosis and neuro-linguistic programming represent 2 modalities of the most demanded natural treatment for OCD
Hypnosis for OCD is a natural treatment of OCD that is used to convince sufferers that they have OCD. By knowing and accepting that OCD is present, a sufferer gets more incentive in listening to his therapist to confront his or her fears and chooses this confrontation rather than doing the ritual that he or she believes will stop the materialization of the fear.
This might be a very difficult process, but some hypnotherapists believe that with the use of hypnosis for OCD, it will be easier to convince the sufferer that the fears are irrational and that it is not likely to happen just because of not doing the ritual. Through constructive suggestions, the hypnotherapist can make the sufferer realize that confronting the fear is not at all life-threatening and that it is a better option than to live his or her entire life trying to cope with the fear by doing OCD rituals.
Homeopathy for OCD – #1 natural treatment for OCD
Homeopathy for OCD is a natural treatment of OCD that has been used for a long with no side effects.
Listed below are homeopathy for OCD remedies
- This is great homeopathy for OCD Patients who need this remedy often have compulsions to lock and check the doors, cupboards. They are very particular about their possessions with the great fear that somebody would take them away. They usually experience the fear of robbers and hence because of this fear, they act compulsively and have a lot of anxiety and anxiousness. With the strong thought that people will take away everything they have they land up into anxiety and restlessness with fear of death. The main fear is that, whatever they have, it is going to be snatched.
- This homeopathy for OCD medicine is ideal when restless or in great fear of being left alone. Anger with anxiety, inconsolable anguish, with complaints and lamentation. Exaltation spirit with excessive talkativeness. Full of fun and nonsense and laughs immeasurably. Hallucinations and ideas innumerable. Fear accompanied by great oppression: better outdoors. The constant fear of going crazy. Exaggeration of the length of time and the size of the room, seconds seem old, a few rods an immense distance. The horror of darkness. Fear of death. Inability to remember a thought or event due to different thoughts accumulating in his brain. Sudden loss of speech, starts but cannot finish a sentence. Stutter and stutter. Exaltation of spirits with excessive talkativeness. Very distracted. Every few minutes he got lost and then woke up with his fellow human beings, so to speak. Theorize all the time. Clairvoyance. Delirium tremens, tremors, hallucinations, the tendency to anger, nausea, insatiable thirst. Laughs at the little thing. Sudden loss of memory.
The most important criteria to prescribe this remedy are Great apathy and extraordinary weakness of memory, everything that is heard is, so to speak, obliterated, even the spelling is no longer remembered, and there is even forgetfulness of things that are expressed. Confusion about the time. Mistakes are made in speaking and writing, as well as in the hours of the day and on the days of the week. Stupidity and loss of all mental faculties. Excessive excitement and excessive nervous irritability, with a tendency to fear. Perfect happiness and joy followed by a gradual weakening of spirituality, lack of self-control, and lust, as if she were someone else and in the hands of a stronger power. Affects the intellect in general. State of ecstasy and exaltation that even provokes crying, the desire to meditate and compose intellectual works, with a kind of pride. Frantic talkiness with high language, well-chosen words, fast and continuous change of subject. Loquacity, with mocking jealousy, with frightening images, great tendency to mockery, satire, and ridiculous ideas. Nocturnal delirium with a lot of conversation or murmuring
Acupuncture for OCD – ancient Chinese natural treatment for OCD
Acupuncture for OCD is safe, effective, and popular. People suffering from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) find it very challenging to carry out even routine tasks. After a while, their fear and obsession take over their whole life, and if left untreated, it can become very challenging to reduce the symptoms. In the US alone, it’s estimated that about 1-3% of the population suffers from OCD. However, with effective therapy, it’s possible to find long term solutions to OCD symptoms.
Generally, prescription drugs and traditional methods are prescribed for OCD patients, but they can often be too aggressive for patients and come with adverse effects. This has compelled many people to seek alternative treatments, particularly acupuncture for OCD.
If you want to know how to treat OCD naturally, acupuncture might prove to be a very beneficial treatment.
Acupuncture for OCD – Definition, and Mechanism
Acupuncture for OCD is an ancient Chinese technique that involves the insertion of very thin needles into very specific points, known as acupoints, in your body in varying depths. Chinese medicine believes that when there’s an imbalance in your life energy or ‘Qi,’ you’ll encounter illnesses. The primary aim of acupuncture is to restore your body’s life force and maintain a balance of ‘Ying’ and ‘Yang’ so as to remove diseases and prevent future illnesses.
Chinese medicine believes that Qi flows through pathways known as meridians in the human body. The energy flow and meridians are accessible through 350 acupoints in your body. Through the insertion of acupuncture needles into these specific points with appropriate combinations, your body’s energy can be brought into balance.
According to modern science, acupuncture points are areas where muscles, nerves, and connective tissue can be stimulated. Through this stimulation, blood flow can be increased, triggering your body’s natural painkiller.
Acupuncture can cure some illnesses as well as promote general well-being. If you’re suffering from OCD and you want a more holistic treatment for OCD, you might want to give OCD acupuncture a try.
What Are The Benefits Of Acupuncture for OCD?
Acupuncture is not only a viable alternative treatment for OCD, but it has various advantages such as:
- It can be helpful for patients who don’t respond well to medications
- It can be very effective in pain management
- It can be an excellent complementary treatment
- It has very few or no side effects
- If performed correctly, it is safe
On top of that, acupuncture is significantly more affordable than traditional treatments and medications.
Is Acupuncture for OCD Safe?
Acupuncture for OCD is predominantly safe with minimal or no side effects. In fact, acupuncture for OCD sessions with adverse effects is hardly reported. Risks only occur when the practitioner is not well trained or experienced. Thus, it’s crucial that you refer to a reputed and experienced acupuncturist.
However, though it’s rare, some side effects might occur such as:
- If the acupuncture needle is inserted too deep into your upper back or chest, it can result in a collapsed lung
- In very rare situations, a needle might break off and cause internal organ damage
- Unsterilized needles can lead to infections
- At times, soreness, bruising, and bleeding can occur at insertion points
- If you’re under blood thinners or have a bleeding disorder, acupuncture can be dangerous
In the United States, acupuncture needles are regulated by the FDA as medical devices. Their labeling and manufacture need to meet particular standards. Make sure that your practitioner uses needles that are meant for only one use, sterile and non-toxic.
What To Expect During Acupuncture for OCD Session?
During an acupuncture session, you’ll be asked to lie down on one side, on your back, or lie down depending on where the acupuncture needles will be inserted. After that, very thin, sterile, and disposable needles will be inserted into your body. You might experience a brief tingling or stinging sensation.
After the needles are inserted, at times, you might experience a dull ache at the base of the needles, which will soon subside. Contrary to popular belief, acupuncture sessions are generally painless with no side effects. The needles stay put for about 5-30 minutes. Occasionally the needle is stimulated with electricity or heated after insertion for enhancing the results.
The number of treatments required depends on the individual. If you want to try acupuncture for OCD, it’ll require multiple sessions before you see results. It also depends on how severe your symptoms are. However, in most cases, acupuncture can reduce OCD symptoms significantly.
Is a natural treatment for OCD Effective?
Acupuncture for OCD can prove to be very beneficial if you’re looking for an alternative treatment for OCD. Prior to an acupuncture treatment, an exhaustive evaluation of your previous medical condition, as well as your current symptoms, is undertaken. After that, very thin needles are placed in particular points of your body, which increases your serotonin production, also known as happy chemicals, which can be very beneficial for OCD patients.
The aim of acupuncture is to eliminate energy blockages, which will, in turn, result in calming your mind, reducing stress and anxiety, and returning your body to its natural state, and promoting optimal health. Studies show that people with OCD who received acupuncture sessions in comparison to patients who received regular care showed a significant decrease in OCD symptoms.
However, it is to be noted that acupuncture doesn’t deliver instant results. If you try Ocd acupuncture, it’ll require multiple sessions before you see positive results. If you don’t respond well to medications or aren’t seeing any positive results through conventional treatments, acupuncture for OCD might be an excellent option. Additionally, for enhanced results, you can combine acupuncture with hypnosis, homeopathy, herbal remedies, or other holistic treatment for OCD
Conclusion on natural treatment for OCD
If you’re suffering from OCD, it can be challenging to find an effective treatment. OCD is a complex problem with various causes and symptoms; it’s essential that you seek treatment as soon as possible. After a while, OCD can worsen, and effective treatment can become very challenging. If you’re opposed to the idea of side effects and want a more natural and holistic treatment for OCD, you should consider acupuncture for OCD. It has very few to no side effects, and the results can often be profound.
For acupuncture for OCD treatment in Philadelphia contact our clinic at 267-314-7575 to schedule your first appointment with one of our licensed acupuncturists. or Alternative Holistic Evaluation with Dr. Tsan. You can also book it online.
Since Philadelphia Acupuncture is a division of Philadelphia Holistic Clinic any other holistic services that you may need (hypnosis for OCD, homeopathy for OCD) you will be able to receive at the same place
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