Acupuncture for Anxiety
Just doing a little check in here, how are you doing?
(Busy is not an emotion ;) )
If your adrenals & emotions are feeling less than smooth - you're not alone!
This week we are talking all things anxiety.
See more on how we work with Acupuncture for anxiety.
Like some help?
What causes Anxiety?
So many things!
Anxiety can have many different causes and a variety of ways it pops up in the body.
Firstly, anxiety is the activation of your fight or flight response, even when there is no obvious or active threat.
Anxiety can happen:
When your brain and body remember past traumatic situations (no matter how small)
When emotions are continually suppressed (eg anger!)
When the body is so 'fried' and is running on empty and perceives many things as threats as it doesn't have the resources or bandwidth to deal with them
Can Acupuncture help Anxiety?
For some people, counselling, psychology or psychiatry is absolutely needed. Let us be very clear we are not qualified counsellors or psychologists.
We can help you with the physical effects of anxiety though.
From a Chinese Medicine perspective, Acupuncture body work & herbs help to move any stuck energy in the body so everything runs smoothly.
And from a scientific point of view?
Acupuncture soothes the nervous system by repeatedly switching you out of that 'fight or flight' mode.
This 2018 review of the current research on Acupuncture for Anxiety found "there is good scientific evidence encouraging Acupuncture therapy to treat anxiety disorders.
It yields effective outcomes, with fewer side effects than conventional treatment. More research in this area is however needed."
Blood tests for Anxiety
Many physiological things can be behind your anxiety. A good place to start is by double-checking your iron, sodium & potassium levels
We know we talk lots about iron for general health, fertility & pregnancy but good iron levels are important to reducing anxiety too.
If your body is low on iron, its low on real energy.
If its low on real energy, your body needs to pump out loads of adrenalin & cortisol just to get through the day!
This means your stress levels might start at a 7/10 before the day even starts!
Remember the Functional Medicine ideal ranges of ferritin (iron storage) are 75-150ng/L & iron to be between 14-22umol/L.
If your adrenals are on overload, it consumes many vitamins & minerals including salt (sodium) & potassium.
The Functional Medicine ideal ranges for sodium are 140-144mmol/L & potassium is 4.3-4.7mmol/L. The test for these is called General Biochemistry
You may need to add more salt or potassium-rich foods to your diet (eg bananas, avocados, potatoes) to help your adrenals cope.
Mental Health Phone Support
There are many free services with highly trained professionals you can access. Here are some good ones, in case you need them beautiful folk...
PANDA (Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia) on 1300 726 306
Pink Elephants (Miscarriage Support, website only)
Lifeline on 13 11 14
Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800
MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978
Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467
Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36
Headspace on 1800 650 890
QLife on 1800 184 527
Have your mind & body brimming with health this year!
See more on how we work with Acupuncture for anxiety and emotional wellbeing.
Book an Acupuncture session when you feel ok, rather than the opposite.
Do it as a tune up, just like you service your car regularly before it breaks down.