Our stress responses are whole-bodied, which means that stress affects every part of our body and mind. That’s because the stress response comes from the nervous system. It is wired into every part of us! Acupuncture is a very effective treatment for stress because it works so well with the nervous system. Stress, especially chronic stress, can rewire our nerves into a state of hypervigilence, where we become extra alert for the next danger, physical or emotional. In other words, we can get wound up too tight. Acupuncture treatments are able to soothe and regulate that response. Acupuncture is also able to work directly with specific symptoms of stress, like sleep issues and digestive disorders. Treatments help tell our bodies that it is okay to go rest, and support our ability to return to a healthy baseline. Stress tends to tell the body to pause digestion in order to better run away from lions, and acupuncture treatments help counter this message and get digestion more balanced again. Stress responses also affect our mood and mental health, contributing to issues like anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Acupuncture treatments not only work with the nervous system to calm the stress response, but also effectively address these related mental health issues. Stress responses are whole bodied and can throw a lot of different systems out of balance, both physically and mentally. Acupuncture is an effective way to treat the nervous system and its stress signals directly, as well as work with the specific symptoms stress can cause.
