Acupuncture for Stress, Anxiety & Depression

Chinese medicine works with the mind body balance. Since ancient times many acupuncture points have been listed as having both mental and physical effects.  

What we refer to as stress, anxiety and depression are natural aspects of being human. Stress can help to motivate us, and at times we all feel joy, sadness and anger. It is when emotions are excessive over a period of time, or if they become repressed and turned inward they can have a negative impact on our mental and physical health. 

Research using brain scans on patients receiving acupuncture, showed desensitisation of areas of the brain associated with stress and emotions. In this way it seems that acupuncture helps with the body’s balancing mechanisms. Acupuncture has also been found to regulate stress hormones. 

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Acupuncture for stress, anxiety and depression 

According to the theory of acupuncture, the free flow of body energy (Qi) is seen as essential for good health. Prolonged exposure to extreme or intense situations, be they physical, mental, emotional or spiritual, can cause disruptions in this flow. These disturbances ripple through the whole system, sometimes causing symptoms in distant parts of the body. We all have our weak points and they differ between individuals. For one person it might be sleep, for another, skin or the digestive system.

During your initial consultation your acupuncturist will take time to ask you a range of questions about your physical and mental health. An acupuncturist’s skill lies in making sense of seemingly unconnected symptoms, then using acupuncture to promote the flow of Qi in such as way as help the body to find its own balance.

Your acupuncturist will give you feedback about how  acupuncture might help and what kind of changes to look out for after treatment.

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