Benefits of Acupuncture to Relieve Anxiety and Stress

Acupuncture is a practice of traditional Chinese medicine that is based on the stimulation of certain points of the body by inserting needles into the skin.

It has been used since ancient times to treat pain, and today you can even have anxiety relief with acupuncture, but that’s not all; the World Health Organization recognizes it as effective for the treatment of at least 49 disorders.

There is a lot of skepticism about the effectiveness of acupuncture and the lack of studies makes it consider alternative treatment, but with many followers with long-term anxiety and in a preventive mode. It is based on the principle of Qi (pronounced “chi”) to correct problems with the flow of vital energy in the body caused by certain disorders. Although each patient is an individual case, in general terms the following benefits are granted:

Acupuncture works immediately. Although each acupuncture session can have different results, in general, its benefits can be perceived very quickly. On the other hand, this technique can help overcome other discomforts, which is very positive for your general well-being.

Benefits of acupuncture

• Decreases the frequency of anxiety attacks. Acupuncture aims to establish certain changes in the patient’s lifestyle that can help him balance his mind, such as performing Yoga or Tai Chi exercises.
• It can reduce physical and mental symptoms of other existing problems in the patient. In traditional Chinese medicine, anxiety disorder is not perceived as a disorder in the brain, but as a malfunction in internal organs. In Chinese medicine, the organs and the emotions are intimately connected. Organs can be affected by changes in diet, environment, lifestyle, or hereditary factors. For this reason, acupuncture associates worry and excessive mental work with a disorder in the spleen. Acupuncture classifies the cause of disorders according to the degree to which individual organs demonstrate signs and symptoms and the degree to which their Qì is affected. In general, as far as anxiety is concerned, the organs that present the most problems are the spleen and the heart.
• Acupuncture is a very minimally invasive therapy since the insertion of the needles is carried out in the superficial layer of the skin and is not painful, despite the fact that the effects can be noticed at the level of internal organs.
• Acupuncture lacks side effects typical of drugs since it does not involve the administration of any chemical substance to the body.
• Acupuncture is a practice focused on correcting the cause of the problem and not just its symptoms, so it can be considered a “cure”. It acts on the immune, hormonal, nervous, blood, and emotional system, etc. with the aim of restoring the balance of the vital force in the patient.
• It is a technique almost as old as humanity because it has been used since the Neolithic period. In the 19th century, acupuncture began to spread widely, beyond the East.

Experts say that the acupuncture technique is suitable for everyone, even children. But there is an exception regarding the technique with the needles because it should not be used by people who have changes in blood coagulation, that is, who are on anticoagulant treatment.

It goes without saying that when choosing a professional, it is convenient to look for good references about him and check the precautions taken with the needles (which must be disposable). Asepsis (cleanliness) is essential in the place where the practice of acupuncture takes place.

Finally, it is important to point out that, in many cases, although acupuncture can be very useful in relieving states of stress and anxiety, there are times when the use of the technique alone is not enough to solve the problems and, in more serious diseases the technique should be combined with conventional treatment. For this reason, it is totally advisable to follow good medical control of the pathology to be treated, regardless of its use together with acupuncture.