A staggering one in six of us suffers with some kind of anxiety disorder.
These include generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder, phobias, obsessive compulsive disorder and post traumatic stress disorder. ?
These can just affect us for a short period of time but for some they are chronic and cause considerable stress.
As well as emotional symptoms such as worry, ? disturbed sleep, ?irritability ? and poor concentration, ? anxiety can cause physical symptoms such as sweating, ?nausea, ? diarrhoea, ? dry mouth, palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, cold hands ? , muscle tension and aches, trembling and twitching.
Also, the symptoms of many physical conditions can become worse with stress, for example, irritable bowel syndrome, migraines and tension headaches, and back pain. ?
Many people find that acupuncture can help to relieve some of the symptoms of anxiety. Acupuncture stimulates the body’s natural feel-good hormones and reduces the level of stress hormones like cortisol. Some studies show that acupuncture is an effective treatment for anxiety, with fewer side effects than medications.
As well as the actual treatment, your acupuncturist can put ‘ear seeds’ in for you. These are small seeds on a plaster that stimulate the pressure points in your ear ?? and give a continuous relaxing effect. You can also ask for your acupuncturist to show you ‘acupressure points’ that you can massage yourself in between visits to prolong the benefits of treatment. There are so many self-help strategies that can help too and these will be very personal to you.
Exercise helps many people and techniques like yoga, tai chi and qigong are especially good for promoting balance and calm.
Breathing exercises can be really helpful in calming your nervous system.
And however busy you are, do ensure that you take time for yourself and for quality social contact with friends and family.
If you’d like to know more about how acupuncture can help, please contact ☎️ Fiona Bullock on 07969 624605 or on info@stockportacupuncture.org.uk
