One of my favorite things to help people with using acupuncture is Stress. I can relate to the patients that I help because I use to be one big ball of stress myself. During 2007-2009, I worked in Chicago while the mortgage and housing crisis happened. This was one the most stressful times of my life and that is also when I realized that my health is much more important than a job I could not stand.
During this highly stressful time I started to notice things in my body that didn’t feel right. My circulation to my hands and feet were terrible (cold), I had severe irritability, headaches near my temples, constipation which led to hemorrhoids (ouch!) and terrible urinary problems. This was the worst I ever felt in years. I was always very healthy and rarely got sick. I felt like I was falling apart.
Five years later I can say most of my stress and the issues that accompanied them are gone thanks to acupuncture, meditation, healthy diet, exercise and finding my true calling on this earth. Chinese Medicine!
Acupuncture and herbal medicine is one of the best ways to manage stress. When stress is not released and keeps accumulating from life, the energy of that emotion gets trapped in the body just like pain would. We call it stagnation of blood or Qi. When this energy does not move it causes pain or worse, many of the symptoms I mentioned above will show up. When the acupuncture needles are inserted in specific points on the body it helps move the stagnant energy and that is when you start to feel more light and able to function again without screaming at the next person to look at you wrong. The stagnation was released and now the energy is moving smoothly. You can take a deep breath!
Some other symptoms that women might experience from severe stress would be; PMS, irregular periods, painful periods, clotting, breast tenderness and did I mention severe irritability.
If you have a stressful life then acupuncture will help manage things but to really knock it out, you may have to use an herbal formula such as xiao yao san or check into Ashwaganda. Other modalities that can help with reliving stress is meditation, Qi Gong, exercise, yoga and deep breaths.
Sometimes stress can be debilitating so if it’s extreme, take time for yourself. Try to get out into nature and get clear about the path of life you chose. Sometimes staying in a career or a relationship that has run its course could be telling you subtly that you need to make a change.