How Islington Acupuncture approaches stress, anxiety and low mood
Western medicine has tended to treat the mind and body as separate systems; Chinese medicine doesn’t work that way. Anxiety is not separate from a racing heart or a tight chest. Grief connects to the lungs. Chronic worry shows up in digestion. Every organ system carries both a physical function and an emotional side, and the two are treated as part of the same picture.
Rather than treating “anxiety” as one isolated problem to switch off, we look at the whole pattern: how your sleep, digestion, energy and mood are all connected to the same underlying imbalance.
Why this fits how we experience stress today
Anxiety and low mood rarely turn up as just a mental state. They tend to arrive with disrupted sleep, an upset stomach, tense muscles, a racing or irregular heartbeat. These are all effects of the nervous system, which can get stuck in a prolonged stress response. Different impacts are experienced from person to person.
What the research shows
Modern research is starting to back up a lot of what Chinese medicine has observed in practice for a long time.
- Brain activity: Functional MRI studies have shown acupuncture can affect activity in the limbic system — the brain’s emotional processing centre — and related structures (Hui et al, 2000 & 2010)
- Stress hormones: Research points to acupuncture affecting the HPA axis, the body’s central stress-response system, including reductions in stress hormones such as cortisol (Frontiers in Neurology, 2025)
- Nervous system: Acupuncture has been shown to influence heart rate and nervous system activity during treatment — consistent with a shift out of “fight-or-flight” and into a calmer state (Uchida, C. et al., 2019)
- Symptom outcomes: Several systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials have found acupuncture leads to measurable improvements in anxiety and depression symptoms, in some cases performing comparably to, or alongside, standard treatments like SSRIs. (Jang, S. et al., 2026), (Frontiers in Neurology, 2025), (Yang, L., et al., 2025)
- Longer-term benefit: A University of York study found that weekly acupuncture sessions over twelve weeks reduced the severity of depression, with the benefits largely holding up a year later.
(MacPherson, H. et al., 2013)
Results vary between studies, and researchers agree more high-quality trials are needed — that’s true of most areas of medicine. Even so, the evidence base is growing, and acupuncture is increasingly recognised as a genuine, evidence-informed option for stress, anxiety and depression.
What to expect from treatment
Your first session starts with an in-depth consultation — usually 45 minutes to an hour. Your acupuncturist will ask about your physical and mental health together: sleep, digestion, energy, mood, and how long things have been building up.
From there, treatment involves fine, single-use sterile needles inserted at specific points, usually left in for 20–30 minutes while you rest. Most people feel a brief sensation on insertion, then little to nothing — many fall asleep or feel deeply relaxed during treatment, which fits with acupuncture’s effect on calming the nervous system.
You’ll get feedback after each session on how your body responded and what to watch for over the following days — slightly better sleep, a calmer baseline, less digestive tension. For stress, anxiety and depression, benefit tends to build over a course of treatment rather than a single visit. Many clients start with weekly sessions for around 6–8 weeks, in line with the research above, before moving to less frequent maintenance care as things ease.
Acupuncture is generally very well tolerated, with a strong safety profile when carried out by a fully trained, BAcC-registered practitioner using single-use sterile needles.
Frequently asked questions
Is acupuncture effective for anxiety and depression?
A growing body of clinical evidence, including systematic reviews and randomised controlled trials, supports acupuncture as an effective option for reducing anxiety and depression symptoms — in some cases alongside standard treatments such as SSRIs. (Jang, S. et al., 2026), (Yang, L., et al., 2025)
How many sessions will I need?
It varies from person to person and depends on how long symptoms have been present. Many clients start with weekly sessions over roughly 8–12 weeks, then move to less frequent visits as things settle — a pattern reflected in the research on acupuncture and depression (MacPherson, H. et al., 2013)
Does acupuncture hurt?
Needles are hair-fine, and most people feel little more than a brief tap or mild sensation on insertion. Most people find sessions deeply relaxing.
Can acupuncture help alongside medication or therapy?
Yes — acupuncture is commonly used alongside other treatments such as counselling or medication, and research suggests it can add benefit rather than replace them (Yang, L et al., 2025). Always let your acupuncturist and GP know about any medication you’re taking.
How quickly will I notice a difference?
Some people notice changes in sleep or general calm after the first session or two; for others, benefit builds more gradually over a full course of treatment. Your acupuncturist will check in on this with you at each visit.
The research evidence
Jang, S. et al. (2026). Acupuncture for Anxiety: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Journal of Clinical Psychology. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jclp.70079
Frontiers in Neurology (2025). Efficacy of acupuncture versus sham acupuncture on generalized anxiety disorder: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2025.1682400
Hui, K.K. et al. (2000). Acupuncture modulates the limbic system and subcortical gray structures of the human brain: evidence from fMRI studies in normal subjects. Human Brain Mapping, 9:13–25.
Hui, K.K. et al. (2010). Acupuncture, the limbic system, and the anticorrelated networks of the brain. Autonomic Neuroscience, 157:81–90.
Uchida, C. et al. (2019). Effects of acupuncture sensations on transient heart rate reduction and autonomic nervous system function during acupuncture stimulation. Medical Acupuncture, 31:176–84.
Yang, L., et al. (2025). ‘Clinical evidence for acupuncture-assisted treatment of depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis with meta-regression’, General Hospital Psychiatry, doi:10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2025.09.001.
MacPherson, H. et al. University of York. Acupuncture and counselling for depression in primary care: a randomised controlled trial, with weekly sessions over 12 weeks and follow-up to 12 months.