In our fast-paced world, stress has become ever-present, encompassing a mix of emotions like frustration, anxiety, worry, fear, and excessive thinking. Interestingly, these emotions align with the classic seven emotional states recognised in Chinese medicine texts over 800 years ago.

Stress’s impact goes beyond our awareness, subtly affecting our reactions to situations, leading to poor judgment and inappropriate responses and perpetuating a cycle of escalating stress.

However, the effects of stress are not limited to our mental state. Headaches, muscle aches, chest pain, fatigue, reduced sexual desire, premenstrual syndrome, digestive disorders, infertility, and insomnia can all be attributed to stress. Even more concerning, stress can serve as a catalyst for serious diseases like high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes.

Enter acupuncture: a potential stress solution. While science continues to decode its exact mechanisms, there are scientifically supported explanations for how acupuncture can help manage stress.

Balancing Stress: Acupuncture can help control our body’s stress system. It does this by managing stress hormones like cortisol, which leads to a more regulated stress response.

Mood and Relaxation: Acupuncture affects chemicals in our brain called neurotransmitters. These chemicals, like endorphins and serotonin, control our mood, pain, and stress. Acupuncture helps keep them in balance.

Calming Nerves: Acupuncture can influence the nervous system that handles our stress and relaxation. This can make our nervous system more stable and help us feel more relaxed.

Reducing Inflammation: Stress can make our body inflamed, causing more stress-related problems. Acupuncture’s natural anti-inflammatory effects can indirectly help lower stress and its effects.

Brain Adaptation: Acupuncture at certain points can make our brain adapt and change. This could create new pathways in the brain that deal with stress and emotions better.