Acupuncture for Stress &
Anxiety
In Chinese medicine,
stress, anxiety, depression or any strong emotion interrupts the
smooth flow of energy throughout the body. Stress, anger, or any
intense emotion acts like a traffic jam, blocking the free flow of
energy in the body. For example, many people who are very stressed
out complain of upper back, shoulder and neck pain. This is because
stress is causing tension in those areas, blocking the free flow of
energy, causing pain, tightness, and often leading to
headaches.
In a highway system, when there is road
construction or an accident, traffic may be also backed up on other
secondary roads that feed into or out of the affected area. This is
true in the body, too. Stress may affect many other parts of the
body, most notably digestion, the ability to sleep, pain conditions,
and blood pressure. Stress can also aggravate an already troublesome
health condition.
Through acupuncture, theses energy
blockages can be addressed. Acupuncture points serve as the on and
off ramps to the energy highway, and can help energy flow smoothly,
and alleviate not only the symptoms of stress and anxiety, but the
stress and anxiety itself.
From a Western viewpoint,
acupuncture works to alleviate stress by releasing natural
pain-killing chemicals in the brain, called endorphins. In addition,
acupuncture improves circulation of blood throughout the body, which
oxygenates the tissues and cycles out cortisol and other waste
chemicals. The calming nature of acupuncture also decreases heart
rate, lowers blood pressure and relaxes the muscles.
Read Article
Study on
Depression
Studies around the globe
have suggested that treating depression with acupuncture has a
positive and holistic effect on depressed patients, particularly
when used in combination with psychotherapy and herbal
treatments.
Psychologist John Allen, from the University of Arizona in Tucson, and Acupuncturist Rosa
Schnyer, conducted the very first pilot controlled study on treating
depression symptoms with acupuncture in the Western scientific
world. In a double blind randomized study, 34 depressed female
patients were assigned to one of three treatment groups for eight
weeks.
The first group received acupuncture treatment
specifically tailored to their depression symptoms. The second group
received a general acupuncture treatment not specific to depression,
and the third group was placed on a waiting list for acupuncture
treatment, but received no treatment. The study found that those in
the tailored acupuncture treatment experienced a significant
reduction in symptoms, compared to those in the non-specific
treatment. Moreover, over 50% of the participants no longer met the
diagnostic criteria for depression after the study.
The study
findings suggest that using acupuncture alone could be as effective
as other types of treatments for relieving depression symptoms
typically used in Western medicine, such as psychotherapy and drugs.
While these results are promising and the United Nations World
Health Organization has approved acupuncture as a treatment for
depression, further clinical trials with larger samples are deemed
necessary to endorse this new hope for relief.
Source: Psychiatric Times
Online
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In This
Issue
Acupuncture
for Stress & Anxiety
Study on Depression
Point: Spirit
Gate
Point:
Spirit Gate
This commonly used
auricular acupuncture point stimulates the release of opiates which
reduce pain and elevate mood.
The ancient Chinese called the
point Shen Men (“Spirit Gate”) because it seemed to intensify
feelings of connection to a person's spiritual self.
Names:
Ear Shenmen, Mind
Door (Spirit Gate), Neurogate
Location:
In the triangular
indentation in the upper portion of the ear.
Indications:
Sedation, eases
and calms the mind, relieves pain, used for anesthesia, clears the
Heart channel, regulates excitement and inhibition of the cerebral
cortex. |
