As a normal part of life, stress enables us to get things done. If left unmanaged, stress can lead to emotional, psychological, and even physical problems.
Acupuncture for Stress
Stressful situations that last over a long period of time can create an ongoing low-level stress that puts continual pressure on the nervous system, increasing activity, and can cause the overproduction of hormones. The extra stress hormones over an extended period of time may wear out the body’s reserves, lead to fatigue, depression, a weakened immune system, and a host of serious physical and psychological ailments.
Acupuncture is an excellent treatment for stress and stress-related conditions from high blood pressure to headaches or musculo-skeletal tightness. Acupuncture can also help other conditions that are affected by stress, such as back pain, chronic pain, depression, headache, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, menopausal symptoms, migraines, premenstrual syndrome and urinary incontinence.
Acupuncture For Anxiety
Anxiety – Acupuncture for anxiety can reduce physical symptoms such as tightness in the chest, increased heart rate and perspiration, difficulty in breathing, digestive disturbance, musculo-skeletal tightness, headache and insomnia. It can also reduce the mental/emotional symptoms and instill a feeling of calm and peace. Patients using anti-anxiety medications may be able to reduce their dosage while achieving greater effectiveness.
Acupuncture For Depression
It is estimated that approximately one in five people will experience clinical depression at least once in their lifetime. Although it is natural to feel sad and down at times, especially after experiencing loss, these slight effects can be managed with gradual lifestyle adjustments. Clinical depression, however, refers to a long-lasting and intense emotional, physical and cognitive state that greatly affects day-to-day life. Symptoms include:
- Loss of positive associations and sense of achievement (lack of interest in normally pleasurable activities)
- Negative thoughts (often worrying about the future)
- Irritability, agitation and exhaustion
- Changes in sleeping patterns (too much or too little)
- Hopelessness (feeling trapped or suicidal)
Acupuncture can be used for both acute and chronic depression. It is a powerful treatment for physical pain which can be a cause or manifestation of depression. Patients often notice improvements in sleep and appetite soon after starting treatment. Acupuncture also relieves the emotional sensation of depression, helping patients to feel better and enjoy life more. Acupuncture may also be used to reduce dosage or increase effectiveness of anti-depressant medications.
Acupuncture For Insomnia
In Chinese medicine there are a number of types of insomnia, including:
- Sleep onset or difficulty going to sleep
- Middle of the night, or waking and unable to go back to sleep right away
- Terminal or late insomnia, or waking in the very early morning and cannot return to sleep again
- Sleep with vivid and disruptive dreaming
- Inability to sleep, in general.
Each of these particular types of insomnia indicates a unique energy imbalance in Chinese medicine unlike any of the others. No one type of insomnia will ever be treated in exactly the same way during acupuncture, each is related to a particular imbalance.Your acupuncturist will narrow down the type of insomnia by asking you about whether you have difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep or both; how you feel when awake at night: tossing and turning, obsessively thinking, just lying there with eyes open; behaviours during the day and particularly in the hours before bedtime.
How can we help with your emotional and mental health issues?
- Have a consultation with an experienced Chinese medicine doctor. We can help you find out the cause of the imbalance with traditional Chinese medicine methods including pulse and tongue checkup and then a traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis will be provided.
- We investigate the underlying causes, deficiencies and imbalances in our initial consultation, and address your overall physical, emotional and mental wellbeing.
- We will set up a specific treatment plan (which may include acupuncture, cupping or herbal medicine) to enhance the effectiveness of stress management.
- We will provide you with suggestions of diet, lifestyle, exercise and general wellbeing.