Acupuncture for Stress, Anxiety & Depression
We all have periods in our lives when we feel overtaken by events, anxious and stressed or bogged down by negative thoughts and feelings.
Sometimes stress, anxiety and/or depression become overwhelming and we can benefit from external help. Acupuncture can help at these times.
Acupuncture for Stress & Anxiety
- Overthinking and worry
- Difficulty concentrating
- Depression and tiredness
- Over eating or other addictive habits
- Stress related digestive issues
- Palpitations and chest tightness
- Irritability/ difficulty controlling emotions
These are all commonly associated with states of anxiety and depression, but it is not a comprehensive list. For more information on stress and digestive issues, and stress related muscle stiffness and pain you can go to the digestion, or pain relief pages on this website.
How can Islington Acupuncture help with stress, anxiety or depression?
We believe that acupuncture has a significant effect on the balance of mental health.
Acupuncture for stress
Stress can be work-related or associated with many aspects of life including relationship difficulties, moving, bereavement, busy lifestyle, finance and unemployment.
The signs of stress vary from one individual to the next. They may manifest physically as an illness, tiredness or lethargy, or as symptoms such as sore, tight muscles, dull skin, lank hair, or erratic sleep patterns. Mental stress can result in depression, mood swings, anger, frustration, confusion, paranoid behaviour, jealousy or withdrawal.
Conventional treatments include medication such as anti-anxiety drugs, cognitive behavioural therapy and relaxation techniques. Acupuncture can be used in addition to, or as an alternative to these approaches.
Your acupuncturist will take a careful case history to establish your particular pattern of physical and mental symptoms, and will create a unique treatment plan for you. This might include gentle exercises, stretches and dietary recommendations depending on your case history.
Acupuncture is thought to help reduce stress and related symptoms by:
- Acting on areas of the brain to reduce sensitivity to stress
- Activating the part of nervous system associated with relaxation
- Reducing levels of inflammatory cytokines associated with stress
- Regulating levels of stress hormones
Acupuncture for anxiety
Why has acupuncture been found to be successful in treating anxiety? In traditional acupuncture every patient is considered to be unique, so we don’t have a single drug for all patients. This means that we will be looking and listening very carefully to everything you say in order to establish a diagnosis and find the specific keys to unlocking the patterns of the symptoms you are suffering from.
According to the theory of traditional acupuncture the free flow and internal balance of energy (Qi) is seen in eastern medicine as essential for good health. Any prolonged exposure to extremes or intense situations, be they physical, mental, emotional or spiritual, will cause the flow and balance to be affected. This disruption in balance then ripples through the whole system, causing symptoms, which sometimes bear little apparent relation to the underlying causes. An acupuncturist’s skill lies in making sense of seemingly unconnected symptoms and understanding the unique nature of someone’s energies in such a way as to restore balance.
Acupuncture for depression
Depression and anxiety often occur together, but there are differences in the way that each is experienced. It is hard to research the effect of acupuncture on these conditions because each person is different and therefore we can’t use a one size fits all type of treatment.
Research has shown that acupuncture is (can be) as effective as antidepressants for the treatment of depression, but without the side effects.
… and is not associated with any negative side effects
On your first visit we take a detailed case history, taking time to listen to your concerns and really understand what you’re experiencing. Your acupuncturist will give you feedback about how acupuncture might help and what kind of changes to look out for after treatment.
We can’t change what’s happening to you but we will aim to help you to feel differently about it.
Depression, stress, anxiety and trouble sleeping
Often our clients suffer from insomnia that is rooted in some form of stress or anxiety issue.
At Islington Acupuncture we use a combination of acupuncture along with mindfulness therapy techniques to help you to de-stress and find deeper relaxation and give you techniques to use that will help you restore your natural sleeping pattern.
Islington Acupuncture:
For Stress & Anxiety
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