Using Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs to Treat Stress

Stress; the culprit of so many conditions. Stress is a normal response to something that is new, challenging, or frightening. And some good news is that not all stress is bad stress.  Sometimes your body has a stress response to something fun and exciting, such as riding a rollercoaster or hearing you got your dream job. The problem with stress is when we experience it constantly and our bodies aren’t recovering. A few examples of people that just don’t get a break from stressful situations are healthcare workers, teachers (especially of young children), jobs with lots of deadlines. Even students experience stress when they have projects, essays, tests and lots of studying to do. Other stressful situations that cause constant stress are financial strain, sickness in the family, relationship issues, or traumatic events.

When faced with stress on the daily, your body, mind and emotions are going to take a hit. You may experience muscle tension (especially jaw, neck, shoulders, and hips), forgetfulness, foggy mind, irritability, skin rashes, period changes, and your digestive system may get a little wonky. This is happening because your body is out of balance.

What are some ways that we can combat stress and bring our bodies back into balance?

1. Exercise: keep in mind if your body is already stressed, high intensity exercise or lots of cardio may not be the right kind of exercise. If that’s what you're used to and you're still stressed AF, try something new. Check out Tai Chi, yoga, or Qi Gong.

2. Connect with Nature: go for a walk outside, visit a botanical garden, drink your morning tea outside on the porch, or take your shoes off and get your feet on the earth. If you have a weekend off, find some trails nearby.

3. Mindfulness or Meditation: take 5 minutes and take some deep breaths. If you need more coaching, see what you can find on youtube. Change your perspective on what you’re doing. Instead of “ugh, I have to workout” change it to “yay, I GET to workout.” And if you dislike your workouts that much, it might be time to find a new way to move your body.

4. Self Care: This could mean getting to bed 1 hour earlier, talking more positively to yourself, socializing more. It could also mean getting a massage, facial, or pedicure. And it can also look like starting therapy or acupuncture.

How can acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine help you with your stress?

First, let's talk about what stress does from an Eastern medicine perspective. Stress is causing your body to not be balanced. This means that your energetic pathways are stagnant or choppy in some way and in order to be in balance, we want that energy (qi) to flow smoothly. In other words, acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are bringing your body back to homeostasis - back to balance. This is done using acupuncture points on specific meridians (energetic pathways), and using herbal medicine to nourish the meridians that haven’t been balanced, so they can flow smoothly. During your first appointment, we go over your health history and ask all sorts of questions, so we can figure out where the qi is stuck and which meridian(s) we need to work on. 

Will I really be able to relax on the treatment table with needles all over my body?

YES! And here are a couple of reasons.

1. The needles are tiny! About the thickness of 2 strands of human hair. Most people don’t even feel them.

2. Acupuncture reduces the body’s “fight or flight” response. It encourages the parasympathetic nervous system so you will slowly start to become more relaxed the longer the needles are in. Most people take a short nap during their treatment.

How many treatments will I need to start feeling less stressed?

Well, it depends. I know, such an annoying answer. But it does depend. How long have you been stressed? What are the symptoms you are experiencing? Are you removing the stressors in your life, or is it more work based and something that you need help managing better? Are you willing to put in work outside of the acupuncture treatment room? Are you wanting to take herbs? All of these are factors in how many treatments it can take - not just for stress, but for anything you are seeking out alternative healthcare for.

There are generally 3 phases of treatments and tune-ups.

1. Relief Phase: 1-3 treatments per week until symptoms have reduced.

2. Healing Phase: 1-2 treatments per week. This phase is really working on the root of the issue.

3. Maintenance Phase: 1 treatment every 2-4 weeks.

4. Tune Ups: As needed, or 1 treatment every 4-6 weeks.

Acute conditions can usually take less time to get to the tune-up phase. Whereas chronic conditions take longer.

With acute conditions, expect 4-8 treatments before maintenance. With chronic conditions, expect 8-12 treatments before noticing any significant changes.

How do I get started?

Yay! You’re ready.

First, you book an appointment online using this link. Then you’ll receive an email with the intake form and consent forms. Fill those out before your appointment. When you arrive at your appointment, we will go over your intake forms, chat about your goals, dive deeper into your health history, talk about herbs, and discuss a treatment plan that works for you. We’ll talk for about 20-30 minutes and the acupuncture treatment will last the rest of the time. After your treatment, you’ll pay, we’ll reschedule your follow up appointments and you can go about your day feeling a little more relaxed.