“To me the power of acupuncture is highly underrated and I have peace of mind in the thought that it is not addictive, not expensive and most of all that it has really worked for me”.
Did you know that acupuncture is a drug free solution that can be used alone or as part of an integrated treatment prescription for mental health issues such as anxiety and emotional wellbeing?
Over the last few years when I audit my notes, what is alarmingly obvious is just how many people come into me citing anxiety as one of their chief complaints, irrespective of whatever other issues that they present with. This would mirror the recent epidemiological reports that suggest that the lifetime incidence of anxiety disorder is more than 25% – indicating that one in four of us can expect to suffer anxiety at some point throughout our lifetime. This is also backed up by GP’s, who report that anxiety and stress is one of the most frequent complaints that drives people into their practice- so common in fact, that it may equal the common cold.
So, let’s quickly run through what Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is. It is a chronic disorder characterized by excessive, long lasting anxiety and worry about non-specific life events, objects and situations. The etiology of anxiety issues is thought to include genetic factors, brain chemistry and environmental factors.
The main complaints are often feeling afraid, worrying about health, money, family, work, school. However, they often still have trouble identifying both the specific fear and ability to control their worries. Many people end up on Anxiolytic drugs with the main ones prescribed being Xanax or Valium. Unfortunately, they usually only offer short term relief and many people do suffer unwanted side effects that can leave the person feeling worse rather than better on them. This drives people to start investigating alternative treatments, usually by talking to others or finding out on the internet what works for others and acupuncture is one such treatment.
Acupuncture is one part of a system of medicine called Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). It is a mind/body medicine system that has always considered the connection between the mind and the body to be inseparable. It is based on the concept of Yin and Yang, and in order for the body to be at its best, Yin and Yang are in a state of balance and movement. Within the body there are different meridians and some of the meridians correspond with different emotional and mental aspects. The five main emotions would be anger, joy, worry, sadness and fear. They derive from the qi in the body and only become the cause of a disease when experienced excessively, for a prolonged period of time or both (Maccioca1994). So, this means that an imbalance of emotions are considered to be a major contributor cause of both psychological and physiological disease in TCM.
Mental /emotional wellbeing is always discussed during a TCM consultation as well as all physical issues to reach a treatment plan to treat the root cause of the condition a person is experiencing. That means that we look at the whole body not just the presenting over riding symptom that the person is suffering with at the time. This is one of the reasons why I think that – acupuncture, Chinese herbs and lifestyle recommendations – have been shown to be effective in the treatment of anxiety.
Acupuncture has been getting media attention over the last few years as a method of treatment that can be helpful for all sorts of problems other than painful conditions that it was accepted for. Regarding anxiety, in the research literature, CNS Neuroscience and Therapeutics, they admit that acupuncture’s effect is comparable to that of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy(CBT), a form of counselling commonly prescribed for patients with anxiety, and depression (Errington-Evans, 2011). Other research using fMRI imaging shows that acupuncture affects the areas of the brain that promote relaxation, it regulates secretion of feel good hormones and neuro-transmitters like serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine whilst helping the body to stimulate its own production of endorphins which have an opioid effect. This would back up recent meta-analysis and systems evaluations that acupuncture treatment has more advantages than drugs in the treatment of anxiety disorders too – (HealthCMI.com)
So, should you try acupuncture if you suffer with anxiety? Well, to quote one my long- term patients, a young man in his twenties who has suffered extreme bouts of anxiety over the years. “To me the power of acupuncture is highly underrated and I have peace of mind in the thought that it is not addictive, not expensive and most of all that it really works. Using acupuncture at regular intervals has really helped to regulate my anxiety without the need to take medication. It will always be part of my healthcare regime now”.
Advice for anyone going to try acupuncture would be to complete a course of treatment that will be outlined by their acupuncturist and to receive maintenance treatments thereafter to prevent any acute phase of anxiety from occurring again. The frequency and rate of treatments will depend on the extent of the condition presented, the person’s constitutional predisposition and their lifestyle choices as well. The real strength of Acupuncture is its ability to prevent recurring issues and maintain mental and emotional wellbeing by retaining a level of homeostasis or balance in the body. The best part of acupuncture is how it compliments all other treatments and can speed up the person’s journey to feeling well, it’s ability to reduce the need for more medication or even lower the need for the medication itself and offer relief from side effects that the person may be suffering from the drug therapy too.
Also, just an extra note. Acupuncture can be used to help all ages and is also totally safe for anyone suffering with anxiety where the use of medication may be difficult, in particular the elderly, pregnant women, postpartum women and adolescents.
If you would like to consider using acupuncture as a method to help you, always ensure that you consult a trained registered Acupuncturist. In Ireland the largest register of qualified acupuncturists is the Acupuncture Council of Ireland.
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