3 Acupuncture Points that Beat Anxiety and Stress

Lots of clients want to know what points will be used on them in the treatment of anxiety. When I practice at the Integrative Acupuncture Center in Ridgewood, New Jersey, I explain to client that it depends on the individual client and what their symptoms present with.Anxiety is a generalized term for “emotional turmoil” and different people react differently to perceived stresses.  Feelings such as racing thoughts, tension, shakiness, insomnia, and a  sense of dread or uneasiness  are common symptoms of anxiety.In Chinese Medicine, emotional issues are treated by identifying the most prominent emotion or dual emotions experienced, and tracing it back to a specific organ system to treat it.Emotions are believed to affect different organ systems in your body when under stress.  Unlike the “top down” theory of modern medicine which maintains that all emotions originate from the brain, Chinese Medicine, stated that the 5 emotions (Fear, anger, over-stimulation, sadness, and worry) affect a specific organ system emotionally as well as physically creating a cluster of symptoms around the emotion affecting you.Organs such as the liver, lungs, heart, and kidneys, in addition to having a physical function, also have an emotional component to them.The idea that the body–mind is truly linked, is useful to the acupuncturist because depending on the emotion felt, specific acupuncture points and  specific herbal regimens can be used to remedy the imbalance going on in the specific organ system. This is useful for designing a tailor made treatment for the anxiety condition that each person has.For the patient who feels lots of grief and sadness, a point that helps open the sadness and the grief can be used because these feelings are said to affect the lungs. The lungs relate to breathing as well as grief and loss. There might even be a feel of as if something “heavy” is felt on the chest.A wonderful group of points on the outside of the biceps muscle helps to enhance blood flow through the chest and heart, thus opening up the chest area and working on the grief. This combination is called “upper three ancestors”. This can lead to mild depression associated with the anxiety. This  point is a 3 point reaction area located on the outside of the bicep muscle. These group of points help to open constriction both physically, as felt with tightness in the chest. It helps to increase blood flow to the heart and lungs and is a great point for asthma and cough too. But so many times people who are anxious o depressed, feel a sensation in their chest that just sits there.These points work to open up the lungs and increase blood flow through the heart to regulate your emotions and open up the chest.Mu wood point is a 2 point combination found on the inside of the index finger. It greatly relaxes nervous tension throughout the body and muscles and is a great point to use with those who experience frustration, anger, and emotional constraint. This point helps to "soothe the savage beast". So if your beast is raging and causing headaches, neck and shoulder tension, digestive upset or you feel engulfed in the flames of rage, this point combination is very helpful for settling your agitated mind!Finally, if there is a lot of emotional exhaustion, from chronic overwork, or overthinking,  a point along the Kidney meridian is indicated for helping to boost up sagging depleted energy. This is great for people fighting depression or anxiety, or for healthy individuals who feel exhausted and live on nervous energy and use caffeine or sports drinks to prop them up.  The point Kidney 3 or “Great Ravine” is found behind the outer bump above the ankle on the inside of the foot and is restorative for energy, and stress, especially when there is a lack of reserves to deal with daily stresses.  Typically, the stressful person will get surges of stress, anxiety, followed by periods of exhaustion. This cycle slowly depletes you of your vitality and energy. Taking steps to address this via diet, vitamins, Chinese herbs and acupuncture as well as a few tweaks to your lifestyle can be literally life changing.Susan was a 48 year old fitness instructor who had difficulty concentrating, trouble sleeping, having moderate hot flashes, and had difficulty dealing with her daughters, one of which had learning disabilities. She shared with me how she felt overwhelmed, could not follow through on her thoughts on giving instruction in group barre classes, and was literally falling all over herself due to her exhaustion. We assessed her and focused on building up her reserve energies so she could sleep better, which in turn would help her with her focus. Acupuncture and herbs were used to calm but also strengthen her adrenal system and improve her focus. We used the Kidney 3 point above along with other acupuncture points to focus on her problem.Do you suffer from some form of fatigue, exhaustion, increased feelings of anxiety or depression? Get the help you know you really need! Call us to schedule a consultation, phone or in person, to see if we can help you. Let's see if we can help you start feeling better today!  and start feeling better as soon as today! You can reach me at 201-444-7150 or email us at integrativeacupuncturecenter@gmail.com.-- Facebook Pixel Code -->