Acupuncture, Anxiety, and Stress, Oh my!

Acupuncture, Anxiety, and Stress, Oh my!

Don’t let stress and anxiety rule you, instead let Pure Life Clinic soothe both your mind and your body.

The last year and a half have been trying times for everyone. Now, with the world opening up again and vaccinations increasingly available, we are all facing simultaneous relief and anxiety – for some more one than the other.

Everyone has stress – but that doesn’t make it healthy.

Stress causes inflammation in the body – and it could be affecting your health in ways you never realized. According to the Mayo Clinic, common effects on your body, mood, and behavior include:

These are all symptoms many of us have experienced throughout the pandemic – now’s the time to deal with them.

Anxiety and Stress Can Cause You Physical and Mental Distress – But We Can Help

Often anxiety and stress can cause tension which can translate to pain in our bodies – something else we’re very good at solving! Acupuncture – the insertion of hair-thin filiform, sterile needles into specific points on your body – works on the nervous system to calm the mind and relax the musculature.  Most people carry a lot of tension in their shoulders or hips, which can cause chronic pain and maladjustment in your body.

So Why Acupuncture?

For those of us on the more anxious or more stressed side – acupuncture can solve many of these issues. Even if needles make you nervous, you may not realize that acupuncture needles are smaller than you would ever imagine. Nearly 20 could fit in the tip of a hypodermic needle, and most of the commonly used needles are less than 0.25mm.

Many studies have shown that “acupuncture, specifically auricular acupuncture, is more effective than acupuncture at sham points and may be as effective as drug therapy…”  (Pikington, 2007) for patients with anxiety. Appointments are relaxing, and we provide a lovely environment in which to do so – many patients fall asleep during their treatments or let their minds rest. It’s a beautiful break to have time to focus internally and have quiet, relaxing “me” time.

Here at Pure Life, we are more than just a single modality – between the four professions (chiropractic, massage, acupuncture, and naturopathy), we treat the whole body and whole mind’s health. Everybody and “every body” is different – our skilled practitioners will put together a fully individualized treatment to treat underlying conditions and offer long-term solutions.

If you feel like you need help with any or all of these things, give us a call and make an appointment! If you’re on the fence, we also offer free 15-minute consultations.

References

Acupuncture for Anxiety and Anxiety Disorders – a Systematic Literature Review – Karen Pilkington, Graham Kirkwood, Hagen Rampes, Mike Cummings, Janet Richardson, 2007 (sagepub.com)

Acupuncture therapy: mechanism of action, efficacy, and safety: a potential intervention for psychogenic disorders? (nih.gov)

Stress symptoms: Effects on your body and behavior – Mayo Clinic