Acupuncture, Anxiety & Pain 

Most people know that acupuncture is extremely effective for treating pain. Many also know that acupuncture can be used to treat anxiety. What many don’t know is that treating anxiety helps patients who are suffering with pain.

Clinical Results:

Eighty to ninety percent of patients that I treat for pain are also treated for anxiety, even if that is not one of their initial complaints. With these patients it comes up during their initial consultation that, along with their pain, they are dealing with some level of anxiety and stress. In my clinic, when I treat these patients for anxiety along with treating their pain, they get better faster, results last longer and they end up needing fewer treatments.

How Anxiety Affects Pain:

Anxiety drives us in to “fight or flight” mode. This is your body’s natural response to stress. It is an important response and necessary when we are dealing with stressful situations. The problem is that in today’s society, people are under almost constant stress, sometimes at high levels. People also do not allow themselves enough time to deal with this stress through exercise, meditation and restorative practices. This does not allow the body to enter “rest and digest” mode. This is when your body is healing, repairing itself and recovering. High stress levels and anxiety ultimately affect sleep, when your body should be rebuilding and healing itself.

Pain & Anxiety:

Pain is an indicator that something is wrong. Normally, the body heals the problem, we recover and move on. But how is the body supposed to heal itself if anxiety and stress are not allowing that healing to take place. This is how anxiety can perpetuate pain syndromes. Once the anxiety is reduced or alleviated, the body can devote the proper resources to truly fix the problem that is causing the pain.

So, what can you expect when you come in to get treatment for your pain? Look forward to being more relaxed, better sleep and a faster resolution to your problem!