Anxiety occurs from a number of factors but the most common reason is high levels of stress. Stress can happen from conflict, being in crowded areas, overworking, and more depending on the individual. However, these days, many people are becoming more and more stressed due to the pandemic and the need to constantly stay indoors. With the rise in the number of people becoming anxious, worried and nervous, Eastern medicine and acupuncture can serve as a beneficial tool for overcoming anxiety.
Causes of Anxiety
Eastern medicine takes into consideration how both the mental and physical aspects of our body affect our overall health. When speaking about anxiety and stress, a few factors take part. First, an anxious body leaves a lack of energy flow or qi which can cause our bodies to become tense and on-edge. Moreover, sleep and food, two vital components of a healthy body, play a large role in whether we feel rested and calm or restless and drained. A lack of sleep and food can overwhelm our body’s resources and create a qi imbalance. This qi imbalance gets stuck in the upper body leaving many to feel symptoms of anxiety such as excessive thoughts, chest tightness, indigestion, nausea, and shortness of breath.
Acupuncture Treatment for Anxiety
Acupuncture can relieve these symptoms of anxiety by unblocking or opening up the areas of qi imbalance. The body is made up of meridians that flow from head to toe. Acupuncture targets these meridians as a balancing method to treat any qi imbalances found in the body. Acupuncture uses local or distal points to initiate the power of qi or energy flow to the unbalanced part of the body and helps it regain its original condition. By freeing up the energy flow throughout the entire body, the trapped energy in the upper body can properly descend to the lower body, in the case of anxiety, and restore the body’s balance.
Acupuncture’s Effect on the Nervous System
Acupuncture also has the power of rebalancing the central nervous system. For people with anxiety, the sympathetic nervous system overbalances the parasympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system which is in charge of our fight or flight response to danger, tends to be in overdrive for anxious people as they are constantly stressed, tense and on-edge. Acupuncture can encourage the parasympathetic nervous system to take more control and help us feel more relaxed.
Everyone experiences anxiety at least at one point in their lives. During stressful times, it is important to try to determine the root cause of the problem in order to find a solution. Acupuncture works by identifying the reason behind symptoms of anxiety to let the body heal naturally after going through sessions that open up the blocked areas of qi. If you are experiencing anxiety, consider acupuncture as a safe and natural form of treatment.
