How Acupuncture Works for Stress and Anxiety:

Generally, stress and anxiety are natural human responses. Stress is triggered by external factors such as upcoming deadlines, while anxiety is a general sense of doom that comes before or after the source of stress is encountered. If handled properly, both stress and anxiety can put you in the right mindset to handle the pressures of everyday life.

However, stress and anxiety can be crippling as well. When your body stays in “fight-or-flight” mode for too long, you suffer from stress-induced health problems such as heart disease, gastrointestinal problems and depression. You may also have difficulty thinking clearly, communicating with others and solving problems.

Fortunately, there are many treatments available for both stress and anxiety. Aside from traditional medicine, acupuncture can also reduce symptoms of the above mentioned conditions.

How Acupuncture Works on Stress

When you’re stressed, your central nervous system (CNS) kicks into high gear. Specifically, the CNS commands your hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis to release the so-called “stress hormones.” These hormones, in turn, cause your body to exhibit stress symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, sweating and hyper awareness.

In a healthy body, these symptoms go away as soon as the perceived threat disappears. In a chronically stressed and anxious person, however, symptoms persist and adversely affect the person’s health and well-being.

Acupuncture relieves stress by blocking HPA axis hormones and preventing them from escalating to chronic levels. The treatment also blocks the release of NPY, a peptide secreted by the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) responsible for the fight-or-flight response.

Your heart rate variability (HRV) also plays an important role in your body’s ability to cope with stress. If your HRV is within the optimal range (typically 250 to 500 Hz), that means the activity in your CNS’ vagus nerve is stable, and your stress levels are manageable. But if your HRV is lower than normal, you feel angry, irritable and unable to handle stress.

In a 2015 study, acupuncture was shown to have a positive link with HRV. When the researchers had a 27-year-old patient who suffered from arrhythmia, and treated her via acupuncture on the left PC6 — an acupoint traditionally associated with cardiovascular ailments — they found that the treatment successfully stabilized the patient’s HRV levels.

How Acupuncture Works on Anxiety

Because stress and anxiety are closely related, the acupuncture treatments used on the two are similar. Acupuncture also relieves anxiety-induced symptoms such as rashes, and may even alleviate depression to an extent.

It’s important to note that acupuncture treatments on stress and anxiety aren’t limited to one session. You may be required to attend 8 sessions or more for the treatment to take full effect. Once your symptoms improve, the succeeding sessions will be on a maintenance basis.

Also, complementing your acupuncture with natural treatments for stress and anxiety is essential to complete recovery. You may also need to consult with a professional regarding any medications you’re taking to relieve your stress and anxiety.

For more information on stress, anxiety and other health issues, contact us today.