Acupuncture Can Help You Manage Anxiety

 

40 million American adults suffer from an anxiety disorder and many take prescription medications to treat its symptoms. If you struggle with anxiety, wouldn’t it be great to know you can manage it naturally instead of depending on medications that could become habit-forming or addictive?

At Soul Potential Acupuncture and Wellness in Castle Rock, Colorado, Vonda Muncy is a licensed acupuncturist who helps men and women from all walks of life get relief from the paralyzing effects of anxiety.

Acupuncture, an age-old Chinese medicine practice, is an effective, drug-free way to get relief so you can live life to the fullest. Discover how you can forget the drugs and let acupuncture help you manage your anxiety more effectively.

Understanding the long-term effects of anxiety

Everyone can get anxious about something, whether it’s an upcoming job interview, family visiting from out of town, or an important exam. But that type of anxiety is usually only temporary and goes away after the event or circumstances have passed. For some people, it’s not that simple, though.

When you suffer from anxiety long-term, even though there’s no upcoming event or circumstances in your life to cause the symptoms, it takes a toll on your body. Stress hormones can lead to chronic migraines, insomnia, trouble losing weight, and other conditions. In other words, when you’re unable to control your stress and anxiety levels, they begin manifesting as physical problems.

So, in addition to the mental and emotional stress you endure day after day, anxiety also impacts your physical well-being and your overall health. Common health issues that can occur as a result of anxiety include:

• Digestive problems
• Muscle aches
• Fatigue
• High blood pressure
• Loss of libido
• Breathing problems
• Heart racing
• Headaches
• Weight gain
• Nausea
• Weak immune system

Prescription medication may help relieve your anxiety short term, but it’s not always a good idea to continue taking some anti-anxiety drugs for more than a month a time because of their side effects and health risks. And, for some people, drugs don’t help relieve anxiety at all.

Acupuncture provides anxiety relief plus other health benefits

As a stand-alone treatment or as a complement to other methods, acupuncture often improves anxiety symptoms for people who don’t get relief from psychotherapy and medication. Your body’s energy force, or qi, regulates your body’s overall health, according to ancient Chinese medicine practices. Qi moves throughout your body along pathways, or meridians.

When your qi is interrupted as a result of anxiety, stress, poor nutrition, or an injury, you experience pain, discomfort, and other health and emotional problems. During an acupuncture treatment, Vonda inserts tiny needles along the meridians in your body. As a result, your body’s natural balance and energy flow is restored so you feel less anxious.

Other benefits of acupuncture include:

• Reduces pain
• Reduces stress
• Reduces migraine and headache symptoms
• Promotes overall sense of wellness

Many people note they simply feel calmer and more harmonious overall after each acupuncture treatment.

Relief from anxiety without adverse side effects

Unlike anxiety drugs, acupuncture for anxiety is a low-risk procedure with no adverse side effects. You might have some slight bruising at the points of needle insertion or a slight feeling of dizziness, but this is uncommon. With continued treatment — a customized series of acupuncture sessions — your anxiety may continue to improve to the point where you no longer need medications at all.

This is great news for anyone wanting to take a natural approach to treating anxiety and for those who want to become less dependent on anti-anxiety medications. If anxiety is disrupting your life and you don’t want to rely on drugs to manage your symptoms, acupuncture offers an ideal alternative solution.

Call our Castle Rock office today or contact us online, anytime day or night.