Feeling Stressed? Acupuncture can help

Stress is a normal part of life. Each of us can manage certain levels of stress. But when stress exceeds these levels our bodies suffer a wide variety of consequences – muscle tension being the most common. When muscle tension lingers particularly in the neck and shoulders, we can further experience muscle spasms, knots, headaches, jaw pain, migraines and even nausea.

Other common symptoms associated with stress include:

• Inability to concentrate or complete tasks
• Difficulty falling asleep or waking frequently at night
  
• Changes in appetite
• Anxiety
• Flare ups of illness
  

Although stress is an inevitable part of life, we don’t have to live with it! Acupuncture is an effective treatment for dealing with stress.
A study from Georgetown University Medical Centre, published in the Journal of Endocrinology, studies how acupuncture works to treat stress. In this study it proves that Acupuncture targets the same key pathways that are affected by stress. Acupuncture can block the NPY sympathetic pathway and the chronic, stress induced elevations of the HPA (hypothalamus – pituitary – adrenal axis) which is involved in the production of the stress hormone, cortisol. The study also confirms that acupuncture is not only an effective treatment for stress, but also effective in treating anxiety and depression.