Stress

Acupuncture is a centuries-old tradition, with its origins in Chinese medicine. It is often used in the treatment of conditions that cause chronic pain, for emotional difficulties, and mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.

Stress is usually caused by a difficult experience or experiences, and by the modern, busy lives we sometimes lead.

When we experience stress, we're often experiencing symptoms of the physical responses of our bodies to stress. This is better known as the fight or flight response. Our bodies are in frequent or perpetual readiness to respond to threats as our ancestors would, yet our modern threats are different; such as multi-tasking, work burnout and relationship difficulties. However, our body does not realise this and creates hormones to deal with the threats.

Over time this causes a lot of physical symptoms such as anxiety and depression, chronic pain, poor sleep, headaches, Irritable Bowel Syndrome and many more.

How does acupuncture relieve stress?

Acupuncture is successful in dealing with stress because it can deal with a lot of the stress-related symptoms you might experience; through using the needles in pressure points relating to pain receptors, a lot of the side effects of stress, such as headaches, neck and shoulder pain etc., can be reduced and even eliminated.

Research has shown that acupuncture is particularly effective in the treatment of anxiety, which is a common side effect of stress. This is because acupuncturists can use energy points which help reduce sensitivity to pain and stress, as well as promoting relaxation, which is often absent in times of stress.

What will the acupuncture be like?

In treating stress, acupuncturists are often treating the symptoms of stress, as well as the feeling of stress itself. You will have a full consultation to discuss your symptoms. The acupuncturist will personalise this and any subsequent treatment to your experiences and health conditions.

Everyone experiences stress differently, so you might be treated for anxiety, for neck and shoulder tension pain or headaches, or for depression or to promote relaxation for sleep. The pressure points your acupuncturist will use will depend on your unique needs.

As pressure points are all over your body, you may need to adjust some items of clothing during treatment. We recommend you wear loose clothing, such as shorts and a T-shirt, as this will assist the acupuncturist in accessing the pressure points they need.

The needles are single use and re-sterilised. It won't hurt; although you might feel a dull ache or a tingling sensation.

What will I feel like afterward having acupuncture?

You might feel stiff, or have some aches for a little while and your symptoms may feel slightly worse immediately afterwards, but this should only be for a short period.

The session in itself can be relaxing because you are taking time out of your day to do nothing. You might find afterwards you feel very relaxed. It can also make you feel very tired, and this is quite common. For this reason, we recommend you don't operate machinery, and take care when driving.