Anxiety Testing

How acupuncture can help for anxiety

What is acupuncture?

The best evidence for acupuncture’s effectiveness comes in specific acute anxiety situations such as around medical operations or dentistry. There is surprisingly little research with a primary focus on acupuncture for generalized anxiety disorder. Those studies published so far are mostly small and methodologically flawed, hence the reluctance of reviewers to draw conclusions. There are also preliminary positive findings for treating chronic anxiety associated with post-traumatic stress disorder, substance misuse, eating disorders, hyperventilation, asthma, insomnia, post-stroke, musculo-skeletal pain and various other conditions where anxiety has been measured as a secondary rather than primary outcome. Although the overall evidence is patchy, it does lie promisingly in a positive direction, and, given the very low level of side effects and lack of demonstrably superior outcomes from other interventions, acupuncture could be considered as one possible therapeutic option alongside the existing repertoire.

How acupuncture works for anxiety?

Acupuncture is not a panacea. It will not change the circumstances of a person’s life, but it will usually produce a feeling of well-being, enabling the person to better handle difficult situations. As the heavy feelings of stress resolve, a renewed confidence strengthens the ability to cope with life’s pressures.

Unlike medications and “quick fixes,” acupuncture can provide an effective tool for stress management. Most importantly, when performed correctly, acupuncture is extremely safe, minimally invasive and has no toxic side effects. Many acupuncture patients wean themselves from their anti-anxiety and antidepressant medications.

Others solutions for anxiety? There is no standard bottled formula for stress. To cope with stress, people often use “quick fixes” - alcohol, cigarettes, food and medications. Unfortunately, these “solutions” can be toxic. Antidepressants and antianxiety medications, although often prescribed to reduce stress, offer at best, only limited short-term relief and at worst, produce intolerable side effects and dependence.

Acupuncture, benefits for anxiety disorder!

With acupuncture, fight your anxiety!

Research has shown that acupuncture treatment may specifically benefit anxiety disorders and symptoms of anxiety by:

• Acting on areas of the brain known to reduce sensitivity to pain and stress, as well as promoting relaxation and deactivating the ‘analytical’ brain, which is responsible for anxiety and worry.
• Regulating levels of neurotransmitters (or their modulators) and hormones such as serotonin, noradrenaline, dopamine, GABA, neuropeptide Y and ACTH; hence altering the brains’ mood chemistry to help to combat negative affective states.
• Stimulating production of endogenous opioids that affect the autonomic nervous system. Stress activates the sympathetic nervous system, while acupuncture can activate the opposing parasympathetic nervous system, which initiates the relaxation response.
• Reversing pathological changes in levels of inflammatory cytokines that are associated with anxiety.
• Reversing stress-induced changes in behavior and biochemistry.

Acupuncture can be safely combined with conventional treatments such as medication or psycho-educational therapy, possibly enhancing their beneficial effects and reducing unwanted side-effects.

About traditional acupuncture

Acupuncture is a tried and tested system of traditional medicine, which has been used in China and other eastern cultures for thousands of years to restore, promote and maintain good health. Its benefits are now widely acknowledged all over the world and in the past decade traditional acupuncture has begun to feature more prominently in mainstream healthcare in the world. In conjunction with needling, the practitioner may use techniques such as moxibustion, cupping, massage or electro-acupuncture. They may also suggest dietary or lifestyle changes.

Traditional acupuncture takes a holistic approach to health and regards illness as a sign that the body is out of balance. The exact pattern and degree of imbalance is unique to each individual. The traditional acupuncturist’s skill lies in identifying the precise nature of the underlying disharmony and selecting the most effective treatment. The choice of acupuncture points will be specific to each patient’s needs. Traditional acupuncture can also be used as a preventive measure to strengthen the constitution and promote general well-being.

An increasing weight of evidence from Western scientific research is demonstrating the effectiveness of acupuncture for treating a wide variety of conditions. From a biomedical viewpoint, acupuncture is believed to stimulate the nervous system, influencing the production of the body’s communication substances - hormones and neurotransmitters. The resulting biochemical changes activate the body's self-regulating homeostatic systems, stimulating its natural healing abilities and promoting physical and emotional well-being.

Why and how acupuncture works?

In general, acupuncture is believed to stimulate the nervous system and cause the release of neurochemical messenger molecules. The resulting biochemical changes influence the body's homeostatic mechanisms, thus promoting physical and emotional well-being.