The last year has been hard for many people.Financial uncertainty,loss of social contacts and health issues have made life more stressful for many.Having a good routine for exercise will certainly improve your well-being . An article on stress management on the Mayo Clinic website says “exercise in almost any form can act as a stress reliever.Being active can boost your feel-good endorphins and distract you from daily worries”.
While exercise is an important way to reduce stress,acupuncture can also be beneficial.An article on the role of acupuncture in stress management says that stress can harm our psychological and physiological health.Psychological symptoms of stress include depression,anxiety and insomnia.If stress persists ,it can also lead to heart disease ,diabetes,hypertension and other serious diseases.In 1976 a medical researcher discovered the relaxation response which is the opposite of the fight or flight response.The relaxation response and the fight or flight response are mediated by the autonomic nervous system.
In Chinese Medicine yin and yang are two forces working together and in balance. Qi (energy flow) is yang and blood(yin).The blood is pumped by the heart and circulates through the veins,arteries,capillaries etc.The Qi (energy flow) is generated by the lungs and flows through the meridians in the body.The article says in summary “acupuncture treatment increases the endorphin,epinephrine, norepinephrine ,BE and enkephalin levels of CNS and plasma.The increase of these neurotransmitters in the CNS and plasma strengthens body resistance against stress” and concludes with “we conclude that acupuncture treatment is one of the cost effective treatments to prevent and reduce stress and prevent stress-induced illnesses.This should be considered when choosing a stress reduction strategy”.
Article “Role of Acupuncture in Stress Management” published on the marmara pharmaceutical journal and published on researchgate.net
A good book to read on acupuncture is “A patients guide to acupuncture” by Sarah Swanberg which can be bought in bookshops or on amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/patients-guide-acupuncture-everything-need/dp/1641525592/
CarolineRainsford 