OK, I have a prejudice. My idea of a relaxing vacation is to go to a tropical beach. Yours might be spending time in the mountains. Or somewhere else, wherever you can unwind. We do not have time to do this very often. Especially in our workaholic culture. If we did, we might not feel wound up, anxious, irritable, tired—some of the many signs of chronic stress. And the stress would not be damaging our bodies as much.
If we cannot reduce our level of stress, we can do 2 things—find a form of therapy which is deeply relaxing and rejuvenating, and strengthen our bodies so they are not worn down by stress. Acupuncture is superb at helping us to do both.
It is deeply relaxing—many patients fall asleep on the table. Many feel energized and invigorated after a treatment. Research has proven that acupuncture stimulates the production of neurotransmitters and neurohormones that regulate and relax the nervous system. The response increases over a series of treatments, and the result is a resilience of mind and body that makes a person more resistant to stress.
In the same way, acupuncture helps anxiety, depression and insomnia. Patients come for weekly visits at first, and as their health improves, the treatments taper off either to nothing, or to an occasional maintenance session if the patient wishes.
I invite you to read testimonials generously contributed by some of my patients who came in for stress management either as a primary or secondary treatment goal.