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Each of us may experience brief anxiety during stressful situations. Those carrying an anxiety disorder, however, can be engulfed with fear and stress for long periods of time. This can prevent the achievement of everyday goals — from simply talking to others, going to the shops, or sleeping at night.
If you have anxiety, or are just starting to experience the effects of continuous worry, seek support sooner rather than later. Excess sustained stress affects many important functions of the body.
What the research suggests
The research literature reports positive findings for acupuncture as supportive in the context of generalised anxiety disorder and anxiety neurosis.1 The picture is encouraging — but acupuncture is best seen as one supportive element alongside whatever professional mental health care you may be receiving.
What I see in clinic
In my clinical experience, patients receiving acupuncture support often describe a sense of resilience and strength returning. Where previously they were overcome with doubt and daunted by simple things in life, or overwhelmed with a fear of doom, once treatment begins a renewed sense of purpose and courage to face life often evolves.
Know that help is available. Take control of your wellbeing, and gain the energy to appreciate what life has to offer — alongside whatever professional mental health support is right for you.
Related symptoms patients often describe
Patients managing sustained anxiety often describe a cluster of associated symptoms. These may include emotional flatness, palpitations, muscular tension, shortness of breath, anger, dizziness, frequent sighing, nightmares, dry mouth and throat, restlessness, tinnitus, afternoon temperature shifts and night sweats, rapid breathing, chest oppression, insomnia, and disturbed dreaming.
From a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective, these aren't separate problems — they're often part of one underlying pattern. When the pattern is supported, many of these complaints can ease together.
The spectrum of anxiety
Anxiety presents on a wide spectrum — from situational stress through to more sustained patterns that have been clinically defined as Generalised Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. If you suspect you may be managing any of these, your GP is the right starting point. They can refer you to a psychologist under Australia's Better Access Medicare initiative, and they can help you build a treatment plan that uses the right tools at the right time.
Acupuncture sits well alongside psychological care — not as a replacement, but as a supportive practice that helps the nervous system settle while the psychological work does its part.
Reference
1 K. Pilkington, G. Kirkwood, H. Rampes, M. Cummings, and J. Richardson. Acupuncture for anxiety and anxiety disorders – a systematic literature review. Acupuncture in Medicine, 2007, 25, 1–10.