End Anxiety and Stress with Acupuncture - Beverly Acupuncture Clinic

Improve your Anxiety and Stress with Acupuncture!

Acupuncture for Stress and Anxiety:

Are you suffering from high stress levels and looking to reduce your stress? North Shore Acupuncture and Natural Medicine has successful treatment options to relieve stress and anxiety. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has worked for thousands of years to safely and effectively treat; stress, anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions. Today, there is acknowledgement of a mind-body connection. If the mind-body connection is interrupted then a large number of possible health ailments can occur. These health ailments can manifest as emotional, physical, cognitive and behavioral symptoms of stress. A few examples of each type are highlighted below:

Stress and Anxiety

Stress affects nearly every person and manifests in each person differently. Some individuals suffer from panic attacks and while others many have chronic pain. Acupuncture treatments help to reduce stress. Scientific evidence showed that rats who suffered from stress conditions and then received acupuncture had lower levels of stress hormones. The same effects of acupuncture can be seen in human patients. Another commonly associated disease with stress is anxiety. While it is completely normal to experience anxiety in a stressful situation, it isn't normal to have constant anxiety. Often times it is difficult to spot the differences between stress and anxiety. Both stress and anxiety symptoms can lead to rapid heart rate, muscle tension, exhaustion, sleepless night and headaches. At North Shore Acupuncture and Natural Medicine, we have treatment options to reduce anxiety and relieve stress to improve your overall mental health.

Emotional symptoms of stress:

• Avoiding others/social events

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Trouble relaxing

• Feeling overwhelmed

• Easily frustrated, angry, or moody

  Physical symptoms of stress:

• Low energy

• Panic attacks

• Headaches

• High blood pressure

• Rapid heart rate or racing heart rate

• Aches, pain and tense muscles

• Insomnia

• Frequent colds and sickness

Cognitive symptoms of stress:

• Constant worry

• Racing thoughts

• Forgetfulness

• Being pessimistic

Behavioral symptoms of stress:

• Increased use of drugs or alcohol

• Pacing, fidgeting or nail biting

• Changes in appetite

How does Acupuncture Work:

Acupuncture uses hair-thin needles on acupuncture points throughout the body. The body has multiple meridians, and much like a highway at rush-hour, these meridians can become "clogged" and qi energy (blood circulation) can not flow freely. When acupuncture points are stimulated and qi energy flows freely, disease is less likely to occur. Scientific research suggests that acupuncture works to stimulate the body to release chemicals into the nervous system and into the bloodstream. The release of these chemicals, triggers the release of other substances that influence the body's innate ability to heal.

Brain scans show that acupuncture normalizes the signals that reach your limbic system, which is the system that controls the "fight or flight" response. Almost every patient we see is transformed from being on edge to calm, relaxed and zen-like even after their acupuncture treatment. And the reason is acupuncture works to reset the autonomic nervous system, and once reset, the body can restore to homeostasis or normal functioning. Our goal with acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine is to allow the parasympathetic system to take over and restore the sympathetic/parasympathetic balance.

Our approach at North Shore Acupuncture and Natural Medicine is based on the "whole person" and doesn't separate the physical and mental aspects of health. If you explain to Allison, you are suffering from stress and grinding your teeth at night, we won't separate the issues. According to Chinese medicine you are: "Liver Qi Stagnant". For women, liver qi stagnation could also see symptoms such as, irregular or painful period, PMS irritability or swollen breast and constipation. For men liver qi stagnation could also see symptoms such as, bitter taste in mouth, inappropriate anger, constipation, upset stomach and mood swings.

Chronic Stress and Acupuncture Treatment

Acupuncture works to improve your health and reduce stress by lowering blood hormone levels secreted by the hypothalamus pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis. HPA axis controls reactions to stress and regulates processes like the immune system, digestion, emotions and moods and sexuality). Additionally acupuncture lows the levels of NPY, a peptide secreted during the "fight or flight response" (Eshkevari et al., 2015).

This means that acupuncture works to block the chronic stress induced elevations of the HPA axis and NPY, which ultimately leads to a higher quality of life.

Acupuncture and Stress

Acupuncture works to restore homeostasis via the autonomic nervous system. The restoration can be seen after each and every treatment! A 2014 study using Heart Rate Variability(HRV) to measure reductions in stress, showed that during treatment, after acupuncture needling and post-acupuncture treatment there are increases in HRV. Increased HRV is a good thing, meaning there was a decrease in their physiological stress.

Acupuncture for Anxiety Beverly MA

Today, more than 40 million (U.S.) adults have symptoms of an anxiety disorder. Anxiety refers to excessive worrying, which is difficult to control, and can impact daily life. Typically, anxiety disorders are treated with therapy, medications or a combination of both. Often, these medications have side effects which can have long term impacts on a patient's overall health. For individuals looking for a treatment plan that has minimal to no side effects, they should seek treatment from a licensed acupuncturist.

Over the past few years, acupuncture has become a popular alternative treatment for anxiety disorders. Recently, there has been multiple studies that show those who undergo acupuncture treatment have had a significant reduction in anxiety, stress levels, panic attacks, and other health conditions.

Acupuncture and Anxiety

A 2015 study found that acupuncture improved anxiety symptoms in those people who didn't respond to other treatments. Each participant received 10 acupuncture sessions over 12 weeks and the participants experienced significant reduction in anxiety and this continued for 10 weeks post-acupuncture. Acupuncture is a safe and effective treatment for anxiety!

Summary:

Acupuncture treatment is a great avenue to relieve stress and anxiety. When performed by a licensed acupuncturist, acupuncture is a safe and an effective treatment option with minimal to no side effects.

Schedule an appointment today to experience how acupuncture can benefit your health! We look forward to continuing to assist the North Shore community with their acupuncture needs!

About Our Acupuncture Clinic:

North Shore Acupuncture and Natural Medicine is an acupuncture clinic in Beverly, MA. We utilize acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and natural medicine restore optimal health and wellness. Employing traditional and modern approaches to enhance your health and longevity.