As one who has experienced panic attacks and anxieties, I have tried almost every type of treatment outside of psychotropic medications to help resolve these problems. For people who are suffering from panic disorder, you are not alone. You are just one among the more than 40 million people who suffer from this disorder who are resolved to find an answer for it.
After experiencing a recent panic attack I have decided to try acupuncture out. My acupuncturist cum Chinese medicine practitioner was a marvelous professional who had extensive experience in this type of condition.
Traditional Chinese practitioners and acupuncturists believe that emotional heavies such as depression, anxiety, and stress tend to disrupt the normal circulation of energy (known as Qi or Chi) throughout the body. Based on the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), anxiety obstructs the normal energy flow in our body. The body then experiences muscle pain in parts of the body such as the neck and back. Other aspects of your health can be affected as well and lead to problems such as sleeping difficulties, high blood pressure and digestive problems.
Acupuncture is a treatment that is known to redirect or restore the normal flow of energy resulting in the restoration of health.
Does Acupuncture Work for Anxiety?
Studies regarding the use of acupuncture for the treatment of anxiety have shown that ear acupuncture (auriculotherapy) as the best form of treatment. In order to understand how this type of acupuncture works to alleviate anxiety, Yale University doctors assembled a number of patients who were to undergo surgery for a clinical trial.
The trial revealed that the patients who were given acupuncture treatment experienced a significant lessening of their anxiety about their forthcoming surgery.
Western medical physicians suggest that acupuncture can alleviate anxiety because it is able to help with the production and release of natural painkillers such as endorphins in the bloodstream. Acupuncture can likewise safely lower blood pressure and heart rate, boost blood circulation, and help muscles relax without the need for prescription drugs.
My First Experience with Ear Acupuncture
During my first ever acupuncture treatment, my acupuncturist stuck needles on predetermined acupoints on my ear. The needles remained stuck for a week. This almost helped entirely cure me of my anxiety. After the ear therapy was over, the needles on my ear were removed and for the next phase of my treatment acupuncture needles were then inserted in various parts of my body. Unlike ear acupuncture the needles on my body were removed after each treatment session. I had a total of three sessions of body acupuncture and was wholly cured that even the most subtle anxiety triggers that had bothered me before completely vanished.
Chinese Herbal Medicine as an Adjunct to Acupuncture Therapy
Besides being a licensed acupuncturist, my acupuncturist was also a qualified practitioner of Chinese herbal medicine. He made me take a number of Chinese herbal formulas for a few weeks in order to restore my body to its normal and healthy balance. For anxiety treatment, these remedies not only target the anxiety symptoms but address the underlying reason(s) of your condition as well.
Conclusion
As you may have noticed, my acupuncture treatment for the cure of my anxiety was very much a success. Since then, I have been going for acupuncture treatment on a regular basis as it helps me to relax, sleep better and function very well in my everyday life.
If you are being plagued with anxiety and panic attacks I highly recommend acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine as two natural and very powerful treatments for your problem. They may be able to help you end your panic attacks for good.