Authentic Chinese Acupuncture

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How long does it take for acupuncture to treat anxiety?

If you suffer from frequent anxiety or GAD, you may find that a variety of lifestyle changes and natural treatments can help reduce symptoms. These include:

Eating a healthy diet.
Getting enough quality sleep.
Using relaxation or stress management techniques.
Cutting back on drinking and caffeinated beverages and quitting smoking.
Stay physically active.
Address underlying causes of stress like poor relationships, unsatisfying jobs, or toxic living conditions.
Practicing mindfulness and breathing techniques.
Spending time on hobbies or with people who make you feel good.

In addition to these lifestyle changes, you may also find that counseling, group therapy, or hypnotherapy effective. Natural remedies like cupping and herbal treatments can also be beneficial. Some may need to turn to prescription medications like muscle relaxers or anti-depressants to curb their anxiety and live a full life. Of course, with the lack of side effects, there is no reason to NOT try acupuncture as part of your overall regimen to treat anxiety.

How Can Acupuncture Help Those with Anxiety?

Depending on the patient’s specific condition, body type, and symptoms, acupuncture can take anywhere from days to several months or more to effectively treat GAD. In most cases, 30-minute sessions over the course of 12 weeks is recommended with the majority of patients seeing significant improvement that can last for weeks or months after treatments have concluded. Some patients will never need acupuncture again to treat anxiety while others will return for more sessions if their symptoms resume.

How does Traditional Chinese Medicine explain anxiety?

Acupuncture is a skill that is best practiced by those with years of education and experience. If you want to try acupuncture to treat your anxiety, make sure you select a clinic that specializes in TCM and offers complementary services like cupping and herbal medicine rather than med-spa treatments. You should also choose a clinic with practitioners like Holistic Acupuncture’s Dr. Yueshan Hu who has more than 20 years of experience in the field and has completed eight years of professional education. Dr. Yueshan Hu also has conducted numerous trials on how the body responds to acupuncture and other TCM treatments and is a well-known figure in the TCM community and professional field.

A holistic approach to treating anxiety

Anxiety, like stress, can be a normal condition triggered by outward events or occurrences. However, when anxiety becomes chronic, it can be detrimental to a person’s physical and mental health. Sometimes called Generalized Anxiety Disorder, chronic anxiety is characterized by persistent worry and stress that is out of proportion to events and the inability to calm negative thoughts or feelings. Generalized Anxiety Disorder is often treated with therapy or medications such as antidepressants, though there has been proof that lifestyle changes and other therapies can also be successful at treating the condition.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) believes that chronic anxiety can stem from a person having excessive energy (also known as qi) in the head. This is usually due to the flow of energy in the body being disrupted by inside or outside forces. Common disturbances of qi include stress, fear, grief, illness, or chronic health conditions.

How does acupuncture help those with anxiety?

Acupuncture is the practice of using very thin needles to insert into the body at key positions to restore the flow of energy. It can also be used to activate muscles and release beneficial chemicals like serotonin into the body. Due to the fact that TCM believes that chronic anxiety stems from a disruption in energy resulting in an excess of qi in the head, acupuncture can balance that energy, restore flow, and help alleviate symptoms of anxiety. Not only has acupuncture proven to effectively reduce anxiety in patients with GAD with few to no side effects, but it has also been shown to treat insomnia, depression, and diabetes.

Have you decided you want to treat your anxiety with acupuncture and found a clinic to provide professional treatment? You can optimize your treatments and experience the best results by following these tips:

Try to relax before, during, and after your treatment with deep breathing, visualization, or other calming methods.
Ask your practitioner any questions before your treatment starts.
Arrive on time or several minutes early for our treatment.
Plan a light day with no strenuous activities for the day of your treatment.
Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothes.
Answer all questions fully and honestly.
Avoid alcohol, stimulants, and heavy food before and after your treatment.

Anxiety can be a debilitating condition that has a detrimental effect on your physical, mental, and overall health and well-being. Acupuncture can be one tool to help you alleviate symptoms and improve your quality of life. If you’d like to learn more or are ready to schedule a treatment, get in touch with our clinic today.