Acupuncture for anxiety
In this article we look at how effective acupuncture for anxiety can be.
Acupuncture needles act on points of the body that connect, through the nervous system, to the areas of the brain responsible for producing endorphins.
Functional MRI has shown that acupuncture leads the brain to produce endorphins. In practice, it influences the brain areas involved in managing anxiety and fear, namely the amygdala.
This brain structure behaves like a very sensitive alarm, “going off” completely unconsciously and triggering a series of physical and mental changes before we even realise it.
Symptoms of anxiety and fear
The symptoms vary: muscle tension, a racing heart, rapid breathing, sweating. The amygdala triggers these symptoms in situations of anxiety and fear.
When the threat is real, on the other hand, the mental experience can range from fear to full-blown panic.
In states of anxiety and panic, the defensive survival circuit is always activated. This brain circuit can be triggered by real threats coming from the senses (sight, hearing…). When the alarm goes off, the amygdala is activated and produces all the symptoms described above.
Increasingly frequent and entrenched conditioning makes the person pay excessive attention to danger signals. In general, people may experience fear of anything new, an abnormal perception of internal dangers, an inability to tell real danger from potential danger, hypervigilance and hyperactivity.
How does acupuncture help with anxiety?
Acupuncture acts on the defensive survival circuits connected to the amygdala. By reducing their activation, it helps relieve symptoms that many people otherwise only manage with medication.
That is why acupuncture is a natural, painless remedy for anxiety and panic.
Anxiety and acupuncture: the explanation also comes from Chinese medicine
Chinese medicine also explains why acupuncture is effective for anxiety. According to Chinese medicine, each organ is connected to an emotion. If that emotion becomes excessive, it can drain the organ’s energy and eventually lead to physical illness. The subjective experience of this energy deficit creates disturbances in the emotional sphere.
The term “anxiety” is often used loosely to refer to general states of apprehension, nervousness and stress that are very common in everyday life. Sometimes these problems lead to panic attacks that the person is unable to manage.
Acupuncture acts on the meridians corresponding to the organ affected by the energy imbalance. The meridian is used as a therapeutic pathway to the affected organ, to release the emotional blockage affecting it. That is why, in traditional Chinese medicine, unlike other ailments, anxiety and depression are not considered disorders of the meridians but of the organs.
Anxiety disorders or panic attacks can occur at any time of life, often during particularly critical transitions or when facing difficult decisions. They mainly affect women, children and older people. Modern medicine usually treats them with anti-anxiety medication, which temporarily relieves the problem without looking into its causes. These drugs can lead to dependence, and one of the many reasons why people turn to acupuncture is that it does not create dependence.
At our natural therapy centre in Barcelona we help people manage anxiety with aromatherapy, acupuncture and other treatments. Discover all our services.
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