With everything going on in the world nowadays, more and more people are experiencing some form of anxiety. People can become excessively worried, find themselves with racing thoughts that they cannot stop, have trouble sleeping at night due to worries about the future, and in some cases may experience things like heart palpitations, a racing heartbeat, shortness of breath, or sometimes even panic attacks.
These situations and sensations can be very scary, and for some people, can be debilitating if not addressed. While counseling and medications may be able to offer support, Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine has a long history of successfully helping to address both the symptoms and root issues, often within a short period of time.

How TCM diagnoses anxiety

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), anxiety usually stems from a condition of the heart.  Each of the organs in the TCM system involved the physical processes of the organs we are familiar with from the western perspective, but also include various emotions, body tissues, and mental states. The heart is considered the seat of the mind and emotions and is involved in all of them.  When we have excessive amounts of stress or worry, the organs involved with those emotions, the liver and spleen respectively, can either start to beat up on the heart or start to deplete it’s resources, making it become weakened or deficient. When the heart becomes weakened by this assault, feelings like anxiety, palpitations, insomnia, and excessive worry can result.  

How TCM helps address anxiety

TCM treatments for anxiety focus on calming down the mind and helping to support the heart and other organs that may be involved.  There are specific acupuncture points that are effective for stopping racing thoughts, calming heart palpitations, helping with insomnia, and helping to calm and regulate breathing.  In some cases, herbal medicine or food therapy can be helpful and effective as well.
While acupuncture can’t get rid of your stressors, over time it can help you to deal with stress better, meaning it won’t have as much of an impact on your day to day life. This combined with treatments aimed at supporting your heart, liver, and spleen can help to reduce feelings and symptoms of anxiety in a safe and natural way.

While everyone is different, most people have good success in treating anxiety with TCM. If you have any questions or want to schedule an appointment to help with anxiety or another issue, please don’t hesitate to contact us.