Can Acupuncture Relieve Anxiety?

Can acupuncture relieve anxiety?

Let’s be very clear: anxiety is a fact of life. While it’s true that everyone deals with anxiety from time to time, some people experience unhealthy levels of anxiety due to an actual anxiety disorder. These people are always looking for ways to fix the problem, which is why they often wonder if acupuncture can relieve anxiety.

Acupuncture is a type of traditional Chinese medicine that’s been used for thousands of years for a variety of ailments. These include anxiety disorders. We’re going to explore that today by looking at the different types of anxiety and how acupuncture can help get relief.

Five Types of Anxiety Disorders

Before we start discussing how acupuncture can relieve anxiety, it’s important to understand what we’re dealing with. Here are five common types of anxiety disorders that people often suffer from:

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): As the name implies, this involves generalized types of anxiety that will interfere with daily activities. It basically means you have a consistent pattern of worry, restlessness, and lack of focus.
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Someone with OCD will have unreasonable or irrational thoughts and fears. This leads to them becoming obsessed with these ideas, manifesting in compulsive and repetitive behaviors.
• Panic Disorder: While it’s true that everyone experiences some level of panic in certain situations, some people have an actual panic disorder. This basically means that sudden attacks of panic or fear are commonplace in their lives.
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): This common disorder often occurs after someone has experienced or witnessed a terrible event. Certain “triggers” may cause them to relive the emotional trauma, causing extremely high levels of anxiety.
• Social Anxiety Disorder: With this chronic mental health condition, even the simplest of social interactions can cause extreme anxiety. Sufferers of this condition are often worried about being embarrassed or humiliated, and/or potentially offending someone.

How Acupuncture Reduces Anxiety

The good news is that acupuncture treatments can relieve anxiety, no matter what type of anxiety disorder you suffer from. You can also use it if you have a lot of stress in your life but haven’t been diagnosed with an actual disorder. Here are the ways in which acupuncture can help:

Balance Certain Hormones

Whenever you’re feeling stressed, hormones that produce cortisol and adrenaline activate as a way to deal with the issue. The problem is that staying in this “mode” can reduce your serotonin levels. This makes it harder for you to be happy. Acupuncture is able to balance your hormones and relieve this problem.

Deactivates the “Analytical” Brain

Your brain’s primary somatosensory cortex—often called the analytical part of your brain—deals with anxiety and worries. In a person with an anxiety disorder, this section of the brain is constantly active, which makes it very hard for a person to calm down. Acupuncture helps deactivate the primary somatosensory cortex, which will help reduce a person’s sensitivity to stress.

Stimulates Relaxation Response

Whenever someone is stressed, their sympathetic nervous system turns on, causing physiological and emotional changes. Those who suffer from some type of anxiety disorder have a difficult time dealing with these changes. Acupuncture stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which activates our body’s natural relaxation response.

Reverses the Effects of Changes

Getting your body and brain to cease their natural functions that are causing anxiety is definitely effective, but that’s not all there is. Many of the effects of anxiety will linger for a very long period of time even after the cause of stress has been eliminated or relief has been found. Acupuncture goes a step further by helping to reverse the effects of behavioral and biochemical changes that have been caused by stress.

How Often to Use Acupuncture for Anxiety

After we’ve discussed with clients that acupuncture can relieve anxiety, we’re often asked how often treatment should be scheduled. The number of sessions needed to treat anxiety in a particular person depends on his or her medical conditions, the severity of the disorder, the body’s response to treatment, and other factors. A board-certified therapist will take all of this into account and help determine how many sessions will be needed.

Contact East West Healing Solutions for Acupuncture to Relieve Anxiety

East West Healing Solutions has known for a very long time that acupuncture can relieve anxiety, which is why it’s one of our most popular treatments. If you’re looking for the best acupuncture provider that also deals with pain and stress relief, give us a call at (727) 216-3972 today. Don’t forget to check out our East West Healing Solutions store for the latest and greatest products.