Anxiety
Anxiety, depression, irritability, low mood, fatigue, insomnia, stress, panic attacks, post traumatic stress disorder....
Just a few of the mental/emotional syndromes that I love to treat.
How can Acupuncture help?
From a Western medicine perspective, Acupuncture is in general terms believed to;
• Stimulate the nervous system and cause the release of neurochemical messenger molecules. Stimulation of certain acupuncture points has been shown to affect areas of the brain that are known to reduce sensitivity to pain and stress, as well as promoting relaxation and reduce tension.
•Acupuncture can alter the brain’s mood chemistry, reducing serotonin levels, and increasing endorphin levels, which can help to combat negative affective states.
•Regulate levels of neurotransmitters (or their modulators) and hormones such as serotonin, noradrenaline, dopamine, GABA, neuropeptide Y and ACTH; hence altering the brain’s mood chemistry to help to combat negative affective states.
(Source: British Acupuncture Council, 2017)
From an East Asian Medicine point of view, treatment of the physical body has an impact on mental and emotional health, as in Chinese Medicine, there is no delineation between them. For example, I can be treating someone using points associated with the Lungs, perhaps as there are now physical symptoms with the chest, breathing, skin or the immune system (which all relate to the Lungs in Chinese Medicine) and this may release emotions of grief and loss, of self-esteem and letting-go, as in Chinese Medicine these are also associated with the Lungs. Often physical symptoms take us to an underlying emotional imbalance which is then addressed. Sometimes the opposite is true, for example people come with anxiety, which is often associated with the spirit of the Heart in Chinese Medicine. Of course, the diagnosis depends on each individual person. Such emotional releases and balancing can be quite surprising when it first happens to a patient but can be deeply healing.
In Five Element Acupuncture, which I use in the clinic, a key emotion is associated with each major organ. These include Anger/Lack of Anger (Liver), Joy/Sadness (Heart), Worry/Overthinking (Digestion), Fear/lack of Fear (Kidneys), Grief/Loss (Lungs). Overall these are called “Shen” which is often loosely translated as “spirit” (with a small “s” and taken to embody consciousness, emotions and thought).
Just a few of the mental/emotional syndromes that I love to treat.
How can Acupuncture help?
From a Western medicine perspective, Acupuncture is in general terms believed to;
• Stimulate the nervous system and cause the release of neurochemical messenger molecules. Stimulation of certain acupuncture points has been shown to affect areas of the brain that are known to reduce sensitivity to pain and stress, as well as promoting relaxation and reduce tension.
•Acupuncture can alter the brain’s mood chemistry, reducing serotonin levels, and increasing endorphin levels, which can help to combat negative affective states.
•Regulate levels of neurotransmitters (or their modulators) and hormones such as serotonin, noradrenaline, dopamine, GABA, neuropeptide Y and ACTH; hence altering the brain’s mood chemistry to help to combat negative affective states.
(Source: British Acupuncture Council, 2017)
From an East Asian Medicine point of view, treatment of the physical body has an impact on mental and emotional health, as in Chinese Medicine, there is no delineation between them. For example, I can be treating someone using points associated with the Lungs, perhaps as there are now physical symptoms with the chest, breathing, skin or the immune system (which all relate to the Lungs in Chinese Medicine) and this may release emotions of grief and loss, of self-esteem and letting-go, as in Chinese Medicine these are also associated with the Lungs. Often physical symptoms take us to an underlying emotional imbalance which is then addressed. Sometimes the opposite is true, for example people come with anxiety, which is often associated with the spirit of the Heart in Chinese Medicine. Of course, the diagnosis depends on each individual person. Such emotional releases and balancing can be quite surprising when it first happens to a patient but can be deeply healing.
In Five Element Acupuncture, which I use in the clinic, a key emotion is associated with each major organ. These include Anger/Lack of Anger (Liver), Joy/Sadness (Heart), Worry/Overthinking (Digestion), Fear/lack of Fear (Kidneys), Grief/Loss (Lungs). Overall these are called “Shen” which is often loosely translated as “spirit” (with a small “s” and taken to embody consciousness, emotions and thought).