Stress & Anxiety

Stress is a major cause of disease and painful conditions. In ancient times, our stress response, also known as our fight or flight response, provided us with energy to preserve life during difficult situations, such as an attack or threat by a wild animal. In the modern world, we experience many types of stressors that affect us both physically and emotionally. This varies according to our environments, the information that we take in, our workloads and the stimulation that our nervous systems experience from technology and media.

Many people are living in a state of persistent physical and emotional stress, with little ability to feel safe and at ease. When we are in this state of readiness to deal with adversity, our bodies prioritize essential functions, but are not able to heal on a deeper level. The more we stay in the “fight or flight” mode, the more easily triggered we are to be in that state. Acupuncture provides a stimulus that helps the brain and body to shift into “rest and digest” mode, where we take care of more subtle body maintenance and healing processes.

Stress reduction can be the primary reason that people seek acupuncture care at Balance, or it can be part of the treatment for other conditions including pain, women’s health concerns, digestive, sleep and immune function issues.

Signs and symptoms of an overactive response to stress:

• Anger
• Anxiety
• Asthma
• Depression
• Depressed immune system
• Digestive disorders
• Headaches
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Joint pain
• Weight problems