Mental-emotional wellbeing is an aspect of health that is constantly changing in our life – in fact, we all experience periods of highs and lows throughout our lives. Some of us experience these hills and valleys every single day. We have moments of stress in our lives that can last moments to years in duration. Stress, depression and anxiety are labels given to these changing periods in our lives and can be well-managed with acupuncture.
Acupuncture is one tool used by our naturopaths to effectively help navigate and balance our mental-emotional health. It comprises of puncturing the skin along specific meridian points to various depths.
In 2010 the Journal of Autonomic Neuroscience published a review article outlining acupuncture in anxiety and depression. The article speaks about how anxiety and depression, in their mildest and most aggressive forms are leading causes of the “global burden of disease” and how acupuncture can help to minimize these triggers to declining health patterns.
Further studies conducted on small groups of people have shown that acupuncture is indeed beneficial to our mental health. If you can reduce your stress levels for a fraction of time from minimal to none, then this can overall benefit all aspects of health. Certain points on the meridians of organ channels in on the body in Traditional Chinese Medicine can help to promote relaxation and restoration to promote healthy functioning of our body, mind and spirit. Additionally, these physiological shifts in stress responses can also change the neurotransmitters that our brain produces, and decrease episodes of acute anxiety and panic attacks.
Depression from traumatic life events, illnesses and other reasons can be detrimental to overall health. It can impair activities of daily living and the ability to communicate with the ones we love most. According to Statistics Canada, 4.7% of the Canadian population reported depression as a barrier to living a normal life. Acupuncture is remarkable because of its ability to BALANCE – it is a form of relaxation and also gently promotes the restoration of less irritable and depressive mood patterns. A study conducted in 2013 and published in the Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies, demonstrated that students who had an acupuncture session for 20 minutes had immediate increases in memory and anxiety levels following treatment.
Acupuncture can have profound impacts on your mental-emotional health. At the Nardella Clinic, we offer acupuncture performed by a licensed and trained Naturopath. Please contact the clinic today to book your appointment and discuss with a naturopath if acupuncture is an appropriate treatment for you.
