Anxiety isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It can help us stay alert, make us aware of risks and motivate us to solve problems. Yet, if it is experienced for prolonged period and affects how we live, work or interact that might be a mark of an anxiety disorder.
In 2013, there were 8.2 million cases of anxiety in the UK. In England, women are almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with anxiety disorders as men.
What are the signs of anxiety?
Anxiety feels different for everyone. You might experience some of the physical and mental effects listed here:
The effect on your mind can include:
- a feeling of dread or fearing the worst
- feeling on edge or panicky
- difficulty concentrating
- irritability
- feeling detached from yourself or the world around you
- feeling tense, nervous or unable to relax
- feeling like the world is speeding up or slowing down
- worrying that you’re losing touch with reality
Physical feelings can include:
- restlessness
- feeling dizzy or light-headed
- wobbly legs or pins and needles
- shortness of breath or hyperventilating
- heart palpitations
- nausea (feeling sick)
- needing the toilet more or less often
- sweating
- insomnia
- cold, clummy hands
- dificulty in swallowing
Anxiety disorders in Western medicine
- Generalised anxiety disorder
- Panic disorder
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Post-traumatic disorder (PTSD)
- Social phobia (social anxiety disorder)
- Specific phobias
Anxiety in Chinese Medicine
Acupuncture and other Chinese medicine modalitiies have shown to be a valuable addition to the many treatment modalities that individuals can use to overcome their mental health challenges such as anxiety.
In TCM ‘anxiety’ would be treated according to symptoms and most prominent of those are ‘fear and palpitation’, ‘panic throbbing’ and ‘agitation’. Furthermore, there would be a difference between what we call a full or empty condition were Mind or Shen is either obstructed or unsettled. Factors like stress, one’s constitution, diet, loss of blood and overwork can be asignificant contributours to one’s condition.
By addressing the underlying causes acupuncture can boost, clear, move and relax the necessary systems, to reduce the symptoms and also to make the individual more resilient against future issues.
If you expierincing symptoms of anxiety please get in touch to see how acupuncture can help you.
Current research on acupuncture and anxiety
While there is limited number of modern research on acupuncture and anxiety disorders, some of existing research has shown that acupuncture treatment may specifically benefit anxiety disorders and symptoms of anxiety by:
- Acting on areas of the brain known to reduce sensitivity to pain and stress, as well as promoting relaxation and deactivating the ‘analytical’ brain, which is responsible for anxiety and worry (Hui 2010).
- Regulating levels of neurotransmitters (or their modulators) and hormones such as serotonin, noradrenaline, dopamine, GABA, neuropeptide Y and ACTH; hence altering the brain’s mood chemistry to help to combat negative affective states (Lee 2009; Samuels 2008; Zhou 2008; Yuan 2007).
- Stimulating production of endogenous opioids that affect the autonomic nervous system (Arranz 2007). Stress activates the sympathetic nervous system, while acupuncture can activate the opposing parasympathetic nervous system, which initiates the relaxation response.
- Reversing pathological changes in levels of inflammatory cytokines that are associated with anxiety (Arranz 2007)
- Reversing stress-induced changes in behaviour and biochemistry (Kim 2009).
To read more on existing evidence based research and anxiety here.