Acupuncture Stress Relief
Acupuncture Stress Relief. Now you can ontrol your stress with acupuncture. Constant stress can put your health at risk. Your body’s stress reaction was meant to protect you. But when it’s constantly on alert, your health can pay the price. But don’t worry, there are easy steps you can take to control your stress and Acupuncture can really help.
Your body is designed to protect yourself against dangerous and stressful situations using a mechanism called the fight-or-fight response. The body’s stress-response system is usually self-regulating. But when the stressors of your life are always present, leaving you constantly feeling stressed, tense, nervous or on edge, that fight-or-flight reaction stays turned on. Even the typical day-to-day demands of living can contribute to your body’s stress response and leave you in permanent survival mode.
How Does it work?
When our fight or flight response is activated, sequences of nerve cell firing occur and chemicals like adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol are released into our bloodstream from our adrenal glands. The firing of nerve cells and the chemical release of hormones cause our body to undergo a series of very dramatic changes. Adrenaline increases your heart rate, elevates your blood pressure and boosts energy supplies. Cortisol, the primary stress hormone, increases sugars (glucose) in the bloodstream, enhances your brain’s use of glucose and increases the availability of substances that repair tissues. Cortisol also curbs functions that would be nonessential or detrimental in a fight-or-flight situation. It alters immune system responses and suppresses the digestive system, the reproductive system and growth processes. This complex natural alarm system also communicates with regions of your brain that control mood, motivation and fear.
The long-term activation of your stress-response system and overexposure to cortisol and other stress hormones can disrupt almost all your body’s processes. This puts you at increased risk of numerous health problems, including:
- Insomnia or Sleep problems
- Body Pains
- Heart Disease and high blood pressure
- Digestive problems
- Fatigue
- Hormone Imbalances
- Depression
- Obesity
- Memory impairment
- Worsening of skin conditions, such as eczema
Acupuncture works with the body’s central nervous system to override and rest your fight or flight mode. Recent research shows that almost all communication between different parts of the body occurs by means of this psychosomatic network, a host of neurotransmitters, immunotransmitters, hormones and other chemical substances found in many different tissues in the body. Since acupuncture works with your neurotransmitters and hormones, it’s a very effective and drug free therapy to naturally bring your body back into the rest-and-digest mode your body was meant to be in.
Daily stress management is extremely important and finding the right routine for you is important. Here are some other important strategies to keep stress to a minimum.
- Healthy balanced diet
- Adequate sleep
- A regular exercise program ( running, yoga, biking, walking etc.)
- Meditation, mindfulness, or relaxation techniques
- Laughter and sense of humor
- Find a professional counselor when necessary