Stress and Chinese medicine

Most of us have experienced it at least a couple of times, a lot of us suffer from it all the time.

There is a positive side to stress. Truly. It causes our body to produce more adrenaline, increases our heart rate, and as such helps it to respond quicker to unsuspected situations. This is known as the fight or flight response. Another hormone, cortisone is also produced through stress. This increases our blood sugar level, giving us more energy. Stress also helps us to stay focussed, concentrated and alert.

However, stress gives us many more unhealthy symptoms such as: high blood pressure, digestive problems, migraines , any kind of pain, insomnia, depression and even skin problems and stroke.

If you are experiencing stress it could be the result of any one or a combination of the following problems:

§  Emotional:

The breakdown of a relationship; the loss of a loved one or a pet. Shouldering a heavy workload; reaching the expectations others set for you; constantly having to perform in your job, profession or sport. Simply having to pay the bills.

§  Physical:

Taking on extra work, heavy training sessions.

§  Hormonal imbalances:

Such as PMS syndrome

§  Low blood sugar:

As a result of poor diet or inadequate exercise.

Possible stress-related digestive disorders.

§  Poor immune function:

Caused by poor diet and lifestyle. Recurring allergies such as hayfever and food sensitivities.

Possibly the result of chronic infection.

 What is stressful for you is very often different from what is stressful for your spouse, best friend or the person next door. For example: Some people like a change, other hate it. Some people enjoy speaking in public, others are terrified.

Can you protect yourself against it? Unfortunately, we cannot simply walk away from those things that created stress in the first place, like our job, financial problems, relationships etc. In fact trying to do so may make the stress worse. The first thing to do is actually acknowledging that you’re suffering from stress. Then there are many different approaches for managing it effectively by yourself such as exercise, meditation, massage, breathing exercises etc.

Stress from a Chinese medicine point of view

Chinese medicine tends to focus on the emotions that stress can create. In Chinese medicine the body and mind are connected.  Treating one always has an effect on the other. Different emotions relate to different organ systems in Chinese medicine. For example Anger affects the Liver function. One of the functions of the liver is to send energy (Qi) through the body , so anger will blocks the Qi flow, called Qi stagnation resulting in physical problems like a stiff neck and general muscle tension.

How does Acupuncture help?

For  stress related problems, acupuncture works by stimulating the body to heal itself.

Acupuncture treatment can balance the harmony in your body, putting everything back in tune and restoring the natural balance of your mental, physical and emotional functions.

Your Acupuncturist will specifically devise your individual treatment depending on the kind of stress you are experiencing, and its effects.

Generally after a treatment, you’ll feel much calmer, more relaxed and aware of the improvement in your sense of well-being.

The reason? Your acupuncture treatment will release the ‘Happy hormones’, body chemicals known as ‘endorphins’, which give you that ‘ great to be back on the road again’ feeling.

Acupuncture provides a drug- free alternative to help you manage the stress of modern society. It’s so simple and so effective, and it’s been proven over thousands of years.

Try it for yourself, but make sure you see a properly trained Acupuncturist for best results!