Using Acupuncture to Regulate Your Mood
Do you struggle with mood problems, stress, anxiety, or other mental health issues? Acupuncture can help you boost your moods and relieve stress and anxiety naturally.
Balance Is an Essential Aspect of Acupuncture
Perfect balance is the key to good physical and emotional health. If Qi, the vital energy that flows through your body, becomes blocked, a yin and yang imbalance can occur. Yin and yang are two opposing, yet complementary, forces that influence your health. If yin and yang aren't perfectly balanced, you may experience a variety of physical and mental complaints.
When Qi blockages cause imbalances in yin and yang, you may get sick more often, develop digestive problems, struggle with pain, have trouble sleeping, or notice a change in your moods.
Acupuncturists balance yin and yang by identifying and unclogging blockages in the meridians that carry Qi throughout your body. They use hair-thin needles placed carefully in your skin to restore the free flow of Qi. Once Qi is unblocked and balance is restored, your mood issues are likely to improve.
Ways Acupuncture Can Improve Moods
The stresses of everyday life can leave you feeling moody, overwhelmed, stressed, or frustrated. When your commute takes forever, your co-workers don't know the meaning of teamwork, and your 3-year-old's favorite word is "no," it can be challenging to remain upbeat and positive.
Although medications can be helpful in addressing mood issues, prescription drugs may dull your senses, make it difficult to concentrate, or cause dizziness or nausea.
If you've been having trouble controlling your moods, your problem could be caused or worsened by a yin/yang imbalance that has lowered your serotonin level. Serotonin, a chemical that sends messages from your nerves to your body's cells, regulates your moods and gives you a sense of well-being. It also plays a role in sleep, memory, learning, and digestion.
If serotonin isn't properly balanced, you may feel depressed, irritable, anxious, tired, or aggressive and may be more likely to experience mood swings. Little things that wouldn't normally bother you might seem like major problems if your serotonin level is low.
Acupuncture prompts your body to produce more serotonin. Once your normal serotonin level is restored, you'll probably notice that your moods seem much more stable.
Treatments also lower levels of cortisol, a hormone that increases when you feel stressed. When your cortisol level remains high due to constant stress, you may feel tired, irritable, depressed, and might have trouble concentrating. High cortisol levels may increase your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other health conditions. Acupuncture naturally lowers cortisol, protecting your mental and physical health.
In a study conducted at a large, urban U.S. university, highly-stressed students and staff who received 12 weeks of acupuncture treatment reported significantly less stress than those who received sham (fake) acupuncture treatments. Study participants still experienced the positive effects of acupuncture three months after the end of the study.
Other Ways Acupuncture Can Help
Whether you have frequent headaches, arthritis, or irritable bowel syndrome, pain may make you feel cranky, frustrated, or hopeless. Fortunately, acupuncture treatment eliminates or reduces pain and other symptoms of chronic conditions. When you're no longer in pain, you just may find that you feel more relaxed and happier.
It's hard to feel upbeat and positive when you're often exhausted. After weeks or months of insomnia, it's not surprising that some people develop depression. Treating your sleep issues with acupuncture reduces your reliance on sleep aids and helps lift your mood.
Are you struggling with mood issues? Acupuncture can help relieve your symptoms naturally without any unpleasant side effects. Contact our office to schedule an appointment with an acupuncturist.
Sources:
Psychology Today: Acupuncture for Stress and Depression? Yes, Please!, 9/28/15