Can acupuncture help my anxiety?
Feeling anxious and stressed?
Kotan Acupuncture can help!
At Kotan Acupuncture, Brunswick, treating people who have anxiety is a cornerstone of my practice, I am always glad to see someone seeking my help. In today’s modern age, the number of factors that can bring about stress has increased dramatically. Japanese acupuncture can treat people who are suffering from stress and anxiety, helping them finally achieve some relief.
Nowadays there are many sub-classifications of anxiety, like GADS, Separation Anxiety, Panic disorders, phobias and neuroses. All of these issues have anxiety at their root, and as Kotan Acupuncture’s resident practitioner, I’ve made it my mission to educate the public about Chinese Medicine’s unique perspective.
Understanding Anxiety in Chinese Medicine
Anxiety and depression are often grouped together. Sufferers can experience both, but usually, one is more prevalent than the other. Often people with anxiety feel like they are under the influence of an unknown threat, the exact nature of which is never really clear. The relationship between anxiety and the mind can leave people feeling so helpless and distressed that they can’t see the way to a healthier, positive life.
In Chinese Medicine, we have a concept of the 5 elements and within each element are twin organs- known as Yin and Yang pairings. An example of twin organs is the kidneys and urinary bladder. Each element also has a spirit or nature associated with it. With anxiety, there is an issue associated with the Shen or spirit of the individual and the Yi (mind) which is connected to digestion (spleen Ki) and is said to reside in the Heart.
The Shen in Chinese Medicine
In Chinese medicine, the concept of the Shen is particularly important for understanding anxiety and acupuncture. The Shen is the spirit or essence of an individual. This is important in treatment because we have a saying, that Blood follows Ki, or to put it another way, the physical body follows the spirit. In addition to the Shen, there also exists Yi, Hun, Po and Zhi. This translates as the Heart Spirit (Shen), the Mind (Yi), the Ethereal Soul (Hun), the Corporeal Soul (Po) and the Will (Zhi). The Yi in Chinese medicine is an expression of the Yang aspect of the Spleen Ki and is associated with the mind and along with the Shen are most heavily involved with regard to anxiety. Re-invigorating one’s connection to the five Shen is how Chinese medicine acts to quell the negative effects of an anxious mind.
Anxiety Treatments
Acupuncture for anxiety treatments are tailored to the person. Japanese Acupuncture is for people who might have stress and anxiety. Treatments help people, not illnesses. First, a thorough medical history is taken, and medications and other illnesses are reviewed and integrated into a picture of the patient’s health. Then a physical examination takes place. Pulse diagnoses as well as Hara and meridian palpation give an even more complete picture of the patient’s particular condition.
Next, a combination of acupuncture and moxibustion are expertly utilised to calm nerves and bring about stress relief so the patient’s centre and balance can be restored. Acupuncture treatments can have an immediate effect of relief but are most effective in a series to overcome the ingrained patterns of negative behaviour. Acupuncture treatments can work alongside medications without any concern, however, should your doctor feel otherwise, I would be happy to have a dialogue with you both.
Acupuncture Anxiety Research
An Integrative Review (2001-2014) Acupuncture and Anxiety
There is significant evidence at this point to suggest that acupuncture can be very useful in the treatment of anxiety, there is however always the need for further research. A number of these studies state that “results showed positive and statistically significant effects from using acupuncture for treating subjects with anxiety”.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27355312
The above review came from a seminal project. It’s an integrative analysis conducted from 2001 to 2014 by established and conservative medical review organizations including Cinahl, Lilacs, Pubmed-Pic, SciElo, and The Cochrane Library. ‘Statistically significant’ is the language they use in reference to the usefulness of acupuncture and anxiety.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Acupuncture
A separate study in 2014 looked at a mid-size group of 443 participants and found that acupuncture was equal to the medications being trialled against it. Most significantly, acupuncture had no reported side effects unlike its pharmaceutical counterparts.