​

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder caused by exposure to an overwhelming traumatic event experienced by combat veterans and victims of violent acts, whereby the person repeatedly re-experiences the event. Sometimes a person's symptoms don't begin until months or years after the traumatic event took place. Symptoms include intense fear, hopelessness and horror. The person re-experiences the trauma in nightmares or flashbacks. The person may have difficulty sleeping or be easily startled. Oftentimes PTSD becomes less severe over time.

​

Panic attacks are acute and extreme anxiety responses to a specific situation. Symptoms of a panic attack include: a sudden appearance of shortness of breath; feelings of being smothered or "closed in"; heart palpitations; shaking; fear of going crazy or losing control; feeling detached from the environment; dizziness; sweating; and chest pain. It is not uncommon for people to worry that they have a dangerous medical problem. Although panic attacks are not dangerous in and of themselves, it makes sense to seek a physician to rule out other disorders.

​

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), formed in a history of thousands of years, employs such treatments as Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture, which can help PTSD patients based on the principles of identification and differentiation of the symptoms and severity so as to form an individualized treatment plan. Each patient receives personalized care according to his or her balance of Ying and Yang, insufficiency or hyperactivity, cold and hot characters of key organs. The aim of cure is typically achieved by adjusting one’s balance, treating the symptoms, and restoring body functions, by following the treatment principles of dispersing the stagnated liver energy, invigorating the spleen, coordinating Qi and blood, and eliminating phlegm so as to reactivate vital energy.