In our fast-paced society, anxiety and stress affect more people than ever. In America, one in five people experience anxiety. Worldwide, 264 million people suffer from anxiety. Anti-depressant and counseling are the most popular treatment strategies. There are other alternative approaches such as acupuncture, meditation/Taichi/Qigong, and Chinese herbal medicine.
At Autumn Dream Clinic, we use a combination of acupuncture, Taichi/Qigong, and Chinese herbal medicine to treat anxiety so we can achieve maximum effect and change the pattern. We aim to give people tools and build resilience to handle slings and arrows of life better.
Acupuncture is a natural and effective way to treat anxiety. Acupuncture can stimulate your body’s central nervous system to help release hormones such as serotonin, endogenous opioids, enkephalins, endocannabinoids, and dynorphins. Acupuncture can also help switch from sympathetic nervous system, aka fight and flight, to parasympathetic nervous system, aka rest and digest. In addition, acupuncture can clear both physical stagnations and emotional debris.
People experience anxiety in different ways, therefore are treated differently according to traditional Chinese medicine.
Some people experience anxiety in their head. They tend to have ruminating thoughts looping in circles and are often worried about the past or the future. They can develop insomnia and headaches as a result.
Some experience anxiety in their throat. They feel a lump in the throat that cannot be swallowed nor spit out. They often find it hard to express their thoughts and feelings due to conflicts between their brain and the heart.
Some people experience anxiety in their chest. They can feel tightness in the chest and shortness of breath as if there is a large cat sitting on them. They can also feel heart palpitations and a need to cry or scream as if their heart is being trapped in a cage.
Some experience anxiety in the stomach. It can affect their digestive system. They tend to have excess gas and bloating, constipation and/or diarrhea, acid reflux, etc.
Some people experience anxiety in the lower abdomen and have symptoms such as frequent or inhibited urination. For people who menstruate, they can experience severe pain during their menstrual cycle, as well as heavy bleeding with clots, or no bleeding for a few months.
All these are patterns in the body. When we change our pattern, we change our life. Conventional Western medicine would use anti-depressant and counseling therapy for all these patterns and everyone with the same diagnoses pretty much receives the same treatment. Traditional Chinese medicine is more specific at identifying and treating different patterns, even though they may come with the same diagnoses.
Our health is our biggest wealth. As an old Chinese saying goes, don’t start to dig a well when you feel thirsty. It will be too late. 渴而穿井，不亦晚乎！ The body sends us messages through the symptoms we experience. Listen to our body when it whispers so it doesn’t need to scream. We are here to help you to shift your pattern, build more resilience, and live life with more confidence that you will use stress and not let stress use you.
Use stress. Don’t let stress use you!
