Calm Your Anxiety and Live Your Best Life with Acupuncture

Acupuncture works with your body so that you feel better and live longer naturally.

When I first opened my practice in 1998, one of my first patients was a young mother with anxiety and panic attacks when driving, especially when crossing bridges. Her heart would beat rapidly, she’d get sick to her stomach, and have to pull over once she was over the bridge, or exit if she was on the freeway.  She was otherwise perfectly healthy and had no mood issues besides the anxiety attacks. She fit into a specific pattern in Chinese Medicine, and after a few treatments she was much, much better, the anxiety attacks went away.*  This and other cases fascinated me and that is when I got interested in acupuncture and the stress response and have been interested in the autonomic nervous system and acupuncture ever since. (*Results can vary from person to person, as in all aspects of Medicine)

The incredible thing is that acupuncture calms your body, and in calming the body you calm the mind.  And when you calm your body

• pain decreases
• inflammation decreases
• immunity improves
• signs of age improve (telomeres lengthen)

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How many acupuncture treatments will it take to alleviate my anxiety?

I ask patients to commit to 6 treatments within a month at first.  I also ask patients to see these treatments as an investment in themselves and their health.  Of course, we all worry about the cost of treatment, but especially with acupuncture for anxiety, the benefits can be so long-lasting that it makes good monetary sense too. Usually, there will be two more weekly treatments and then the treatments can be spaced out to once a month. Many choose to continue weekly, as they would with other types of therapy. Sometimes one can see improvement immediately after treatment, but sometimes it can take a few treatments to improve. It’s important to complete the series; otherwise, you’ve wasted your time and money.

Doesn’t this take a lot of time? How long are the appointments?

I treat a  broad spectrum of people from CEO’s, to retirees, to new mothers, to entrepreneurs. Most actually look forward to the relaxation, time out, and respite that the treatment affords them.  They often see the treatments as a way to ward off problems and keep them calm, balanced and productive.

Do I have to keep having acupuncture treatment for the rest of my life?

It depends. Sometimes people are fine after a treatment series and I never see them again.

How do I know if I have stress-related problems?

Physical symptoms include:

• Muscle Tension / Headaches / TMJ / Back Pain
• Cold Extremities / Tingling
• Diarrhea
• Indigestion
• Fatigue
• Heart Palpitations / Shortness of Breath
• Increased or Decreased Blood Pressure / Dizziness
• Sugar Cravings / Low Blood Sugar
• Decreased Immunity / Frequent Colds or Illness

Emotional symptoms such as:

• Anger / Aggression
• Anxiety / Panic Attacks
• Insomnia / Excessive Sleep
• Depression
• Helplessness
• Excessive Worry
• Indifference / Apathy
• Irritability / Moodiness / Involuntary Crying
• Pessimism

Although stress affects us all in one way or another, it is when it becomes prolonged that it tends to cause the most problems, and prolonged anxiety issues can wreak havoc on your life, your sleep, and your general outlook. How can acupuncture help?

Research studies (see below) confirm what acupuncture patients have observed. The treatment itself can be quite relaxing, and there is often a feeling of calm, and control, afterward.  Though this can be beneficial in and of itself, it may be key in how acupuncture helps the body to heal itself, improve mood, and to increase longevity. One of my patients says,

I was having trouble driving on the freeway. I often would start to get sick to my stomach and nervous. I had heard a lot about Dr Sparrow and so finally went to see her. Once I had a few treatments (she uses tiny needles on me since I’m so sensitive) I started to feel much better and my symptoms went away. I go and see her now every week because it has been so helpful and I feel so much better in so many ways.*

*As in all aspects of medicine, results may vary

Acupuncture has been shown to decrease the stress response (see studies below).

Stress inherently affects every system in the body from proper digestion and cardiovascular health to the daily functions of the endocrine and immune systems. There are thousands of research articles on the correlation between chronic stress and many diseases.

Dr. Sparrow’s blog covers many associated issues concerning stress, anxiety and depression.

If you would like to learn more about stress, acupuncture and health, please read on…

“What is the stress response?

The Sympathetic nervous system, which becomes activated in times of “fright or flight” goes into action during fright, fight, or flight. The “Parasympathetic” of the autonomic nervous system is involved in the restorative functions in the body.

For example, when we are startled by the growl of a dog, there is an almost instantaneous increase in heart rate, all senses are tuned in, and we’re suddenly full of energy and able to either run in a panic or fight off an attack. This is a result of the sympathetic nervous system. But this sudden surge of energy comes at a price. Energy is diverted from the regenerative functions of the body. Functions that are not required in the short term for the “fight or flight” are suspended. No digestion, reproduction, or immune functions (why fight a cold if you aren’t going to live another hour?) are undertaken.

So imagine if the sympathetic arm of the nervous system was triggered on an ongoing basis. You would see myopathy and fatigue (from being in overdrive), hypertension (from cardiac stimulation), ulceration and digestive disorders (from digestion being a low priority), infertility, amenorrhea, decreased libido (from decreased reproduction), increased disease risk (decreased immunity), and neuron death (brain damage.) in fact, the above are some of the side effects of prolonged stress.

What is the evidence for stress and disease?

Effect of Stress on Longevity

The stress response is also implicated in accelerating aging. It has been shown has shown that stress can cause accelerated aging in the hippocampus, an area in the brain. A recent study by a San Francisco team has shown that stressed mothers (mothers of disabled children) showed advanced aging on a cellular level compared to their non-stressed counterparts.   (This concept is in alignment with the teachings of traditional Chinese medicine. One attempts to balance one’s life to preserve their essence (jing) to prolong their life.)

Stress & Depression

If you stress a Lab Rat; it will take a stronger electrical current than expected to activate their sense of pleasure. Stress can have the same effect in humans; i.e. stressed, depressed patients have trouble feeling pleasure, or happiness.

This concept is in alignment with the teachings of traditional Chinese medicine. If the spirit is not healthy, the body cannot heal.)

Effect of Stress on Immunity

It is fairly well established that stress can alter the immune response in animals and in humans. It alters T cell function and can alter the healing process. This can show up in a multitude of ways in the health of an individual. Chronic stress can be damaging to the organism because when of long duration, the response itself can damage the system.

Is there any proof that acupuncture actually lowers the stress response?

Besides Dr. Sparrow’s own research showing that a decrease in stress response during acupuncture treatment correlates with successful outcomes there are the following studies:

• In Germany, they showed that needle acupuncture caused a calming of the sympathetic nervous system in patients with minor depression or anxiety disorder.
• A Swedish study established that after acupuncture blood flow to the uterus increased and alleviated infertility due to a decrease in sympathetic nervous system activity.
• In China, they showed that acupuncture calmed the sympathetic nervous system in drivers.