Hello,

Did you know we have a whole month dedicated to Mental Health? Yep.. May is National Mental Health Awareness Month. 

So many people suffer from anxiety these days, and it really is unfortunate because it affects every aspect of life. 

Acupuncture is wonderful for reducing anxiety, and there’s a surprising amount of research on the topic. 

How does it work? An oversimplified way of explaining it is that acupuncture helps get the body out of “Fight or Flight" mode. And instead, puts it in "Rest, Digest and Heal" mode.

More specifically, Acupuncture:

• Increases endorphins and regulates serotonin (which impacts mood and sleep, among other things) [reference]

• Lowers cortisol levels (the stress hormone) [reference]

• Regulates the autonomic nervous system, and reduces an elevated heart rate [reference]

Each of these actions make it phenomenal at relieving anxiety. 

In research, the gold standard is the “systematic review.” A systematic review gathers all the high-quality research studies that were completed on a particular topic and compiles the data. From this very large pool of data, they draw broad conclusions about the topics being researched. 

Several systematic reviews in the past decade support the use of acupuncture for reducing generalized anxiety and panic attacks:

For example, a 2016 systematic review of acupuncture and anxiety “…showed positive and statistically significant effects from using acupuncture for treating subjects with anxiety” [reference]

Another, more recent systematic review from 2018 took a look at an even larger group of studies, several of which compared acupuncture to pharmaceutical treatment.

They concluded that, “Overall, there is good scientific evidence encouraging acupuncture therapy to treat anxiety disorders as it yields effective outcomes, with fewer side effects than conventional treatment” [reference]

You may wonder: “Can I really relax and calm my anxiety with needles in?” 

This is a great question, and the answer is yes!

I know it sounds unlikely that resting with needles in would be possible, but it really is. Most of my patients fall asleep on the treatment table, regardless of what they’re being treated for.

For two reasons… 

1) The needles are incredibly thin – the width of a human hair – and many people don’t even feel them going in; and.. 

2) Remember, acupuncture helps get the body out of  “fight or flight” mode, and puts it in “rest, digest, and heal mode”... Which in my opinion, is one of the main reasons it’s so healing and restorative.

Or, if you know someone else suffering with anxiety who would benefit from this information, please feel free to forward this email to them. 

For the world truly is a better place when more people get regular acupuncture treatments :) 

And life is too short to not feel good... 

As always, if you have any questions, simply reply to this email. 

Take care and talk soon,

Erin