Treating Anxiety With Acupuncture

Before diving into Anxiety, let’s first look at Mental Disorders. According to the World Health Organization (W.H.O), Mental Disorder is characterized by a clinically significant disruption in cognition, emotional regulation and behavior. It is usually associated with distress or impairment of important functions required for daily functional living. Mental health conditions if left untreated can cause long term suffering not only mentally but also physically. Mental disorders come in a variety of types and over a Billion people are living annually with a Mental Disorder. In the United States over 60 million (1 in every 5 adults) experience anxiety disorders in 2025.    

Mental Disorders are also called Mental Health Conditions. Although there are many different types of mental disorders, Anxiety and Depression are the two most common types treated in our clinic. This article will focus on Acupuncture in the treatment of Anxiety.      

What is anxiety? 

Anxiety is a mental health condition that can be presented in a variety of ways. It can be in the form of excessive worry and feelings of fear, dread, uneasiness, phobias and more. These intrusive emotions affect the biochemical and physical aspects of the body, causing disruptions in everyday life. This can interfere with general daily living functions and relationships both personal and in the workplace.  
 
Types of Anxieties: 

• Generalized Anxiety – Nonspecific and focused on daily activities or situations.
• Panic Disorder: A sudden feeling of heightened or disproportionate fear or worry about everyday situations or related to past traumas.
• Social Anxiety Disorder: Fear or avoidance of specialized situations due to feelings of embarrassment, being judged, viewed negatively or feelings of self-consciousness.
• Agoraphobia – an intense fear and avoidance of places that may be difficult to find an escape or to get help if needed.
• PTSD: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a form of anxiety that is triggered by past traumatic events or situations. 

Symptoms of anxiety include:

Heart palpitations, restlessness, fatigue, shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, dizziness, trouble concentrating, sleep disturbance, dry mouth, digestive disruption, irritability and headaches. 
 
It is important to remember that the base of all anxieties is rooted in the tremendous amount of fear and worry. This disrupts the body’s biochemistry and throws the body out of balance resulting in the symptoms that proceed. 
 
What is Acupuncture?  

Acupuncture is a form of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). TCM has been in existence with recorded use for thousands of years. This is based on the body’s energy system, (Chi). There are several energy streams in the body (also known as meridians). Meridians relate to different organs and aspects of the body. Meridians are named after the organs they affect. Example, The Heart Meridian, The liver meridian, the Stomach etc. The Chi (The energy that flows in these meridians has a direct impact on their respective organs. Chi is regarded as the body’s life force. The body cannot exist without its energy, the Chi, which we are all born with. Blood and Chi are co-dependent on each other; thus, one cannot exist without the other. 

Acupuncture Points

Acupuncture points are the gateways to access the energy streams. There are hundreds of Acupuncture points located all over the body that are used to access the energy streams (Meridians).  Different points are related to different functions in the body and have different indications. During treatment, the points are selected according to what the patient’s body presents.

Acupuncture in the Treatment of Anxiety

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) the root cause of an issue is based on the emotions and the organs that go awry, as well as the physical condition the body presents. 

Anxiety can be the result of several emotions being out of balance, which then triggers their related organs. Any excessive emotions such as anger, fear, worry, etc. can affect the Chi (energy) of its related organ. Example: The emotion of Fear and worry are at the root of any anxiety, which affects the energy (Chi) and its organs leading to blockages in the body. According to TCM, the emotion of Fear is related to, and governed by the kidneys and bladder organs. This can be seen in a variety of signs and symptoms including a person having the need to suddenly urinate, frequency of urination or even wetting themself if feeling of fear intensifies. The longer the emotion of fear persists, it then begins to cause a domino effect on other organs, such as the lungs, heart, stomach etc. 

Therefore, the longer the emotions are out of balance, the more organs get affected and the more symptoms are created.

A patient seeking help with Acupuncture for anxiety would receive an Acupuncture evaluation interview which includes a detailed intake of their personal medical history. The diagnostics would include a look at their tongue to see the state of internal environment as presented on the tongue, followed by a Feel of their pulse to get additional information about the internal environment as presented by their pulse. 

Lastly, an emotional scale would be given to the patient to check the dominance of their emotions. All the information gathered would then formulate the patient’s own unique diagnosis by which the treatment would be specific to the patient. 
 
In the treatment, appropriate acupuncture points would then be selected by the Acupuncture Physician depending on the issues being treated as per the evaluation. Points are mixed and matched to provide relief of the root cause as well as the symptoms. For example, if a patient has anxiety with physical symptoms of nausea, headache, shortness of breath and heart palpitations, then selected points will be used to calm the symptoms down as the root issues are also being taken care of. Anxiety is the root, and the symptoms are the effects caused by the imbalances of Mind, Body and Spirit. 

The goal of the Acupuncture treatment is always to bring the Mind, Body and Spirit back into balance and harmony.  Anxiety throws the body out of balance, and Acupuncture brings it back into balance. In some cases, natural herbal remedies are prescribed and used as appropriate for the condition and the person being treated.                                                          

In addition to the Acupuncture treatments lifestyle changes or modifications are suggested, such as Mindfulness techniques including Deep breathing technique, Mediation, Prayers, Gratitude, Massage, Yoga, Nature walks and more.   

In Summary:  

Regardless of any medical diagnosis being treated with Acupuncture, the goal is always the same, to bring the body back into balance and harmony. This is done with Acupuncture and may include natural herbal remedies to treat the condition. Acupuncture is a safe and natural medicine with thousands of years of successful use recorded and still used today in many countries around the world as an alternative modality to healing. When being treated with Acupuncture for any condition, understand that treatment may require a series of treatments for the best result. 

This article is in no way discounting standard medical treatments, but instead, gives a holistic approach that can be integrated with standard treatments to improve patients’ treatment outcomes. Mental health Counseling is always recommended as an addendum to treatment. If interested in trying Acupuncture, talk to friends or family who have had it before. Find an Acupuncture Physician licensed in your area. Read their reviews to ensure it is a good fit for you and make that decision. This could be the best decision you make for yourself. Acupuncture can give you back your life!  

For more information: abalanceduwellness.com 

Cited: World Health Organization (who.int › News › item).