Acupuncture for Stress Relief
We are living in very different times right now. And stress is all around us.
Using Chinese Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture for stress relief can be very helpful in managing how stress impacts you physically and emotionally. If you find yourself irritable, having difficulty sleeping, worrying too much, or having chronic tight muscles, stress is likely affecting your body.
Using Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture for Stress Relief
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the Liver is the primary organ impacted by this type of stress. It is the organ responsible for “moving things through.” The Liver moves chemical and emotional toxins through and out of the body. Examples of chemical toxins are recreational and pharmaceutical drugs, as well as alcohol or even food additives. A stressful job, ongoing family issues, and long-term care for a relative would all be emotional toxins impacted by the Liver.
The Liver also moves pain out of the body. When you whack your leg on the footboard of your bed (who hasn’t?), and it hurts like heck, and then it doesn’t hurt…that was the Liver moving the pain out.
The Liver also assists in the movement of food through the digestive system. Have you ever noticed that when you have periods of extreme stress, you might develop digestive issues—loose stool or nausea? You can blame your Liver for that!
We have a lot of stress coming at us from the external world. We have work demands, are navigating complicated schedules, have difficulty finding time to eat right, etc. Too much stress can put stress on the Liver, which is less able to move things through the body. We might have trouble sleeping at night, get headaches, and have muscle tightness (most often in the shoulders, neck, and hips). Or we may get plain old cranky, overwhelmed, and edgy.
The results of long-term Liver stress are low immunity, higher blood pressure, digestive issues, heart disease, sugar or alcohol cravings, cancer, stroke, depression, poor concentration, etc.
Research has shown that acupuncture stimulates neurotransmitters in the brain increasing serotonin and norepinephrine levels in the body.
If you want to geek out on how it works, check out this NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) article https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6494180/.