Acupuncture for Stress

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Most of us lead very busy lives which can be stressful and we often feel as though we are being pulled in many different directions. Stress if unmanaged can take a toll on our body and overall health.

 

Acupuncture helps to relax the body, and calm the mind. When we are stressed we are operate in our sympathetic nervous system, the "fight or flight" response. Our body responds to stress by excreting adrenaline, which is useful if we need to act quickly or are in a dangerous situation. Because our body doesn't know what kind of stress we are under continuous adrenaline can be released leading to adrenal fatigue.

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Acupuncture helps to stimulate the body to act in the parasympathetic nervous system. The parasympathetic nervous system is known as the "rest and digest". This is the time for the body to heal, food to digest, blood pressure to decrease, pulse rate can slow, and our mind can calm down. Since the body can have a hard time switching out of  sympathetic mode, acupuncture is a very effective to reduce stress and stimulate it to relax.  

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In chronic stress, the cortisol levels are elevated which can lead to insomnia, depression and anxiety because of the constant ramping up of the system. Acupuncture has been shown to signal the brain to release serotonin, the "feel good hormone", which helps to increase mood!

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