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Acupuncture is widely known for its success in treating the physical body. However, many may not know the benefits of acupuncture when it comes to psycho-emotional and mental health factors. Because acupuncture releases endorphins, it helps energy flow smoothly and can have relaxing effects on patients with no major negative side effects. The list of psycho-emotional factors that acupuncture can treat is endless, but some include anxiety, stress, depression, PTSD, sexual abuse trauma, insomnia, ADHD/concentration, mental clarity, and headaches/migraines. It works by regulating the body’s chemical balance naturally through the process of inserting tiny needles next to the nerves. This process can last anywhere from 60 to 90 minutes and have long lasting positive results.

Anxiety and Stress

Instead of immediately resorting to prescription medication, acupuncture offers a low-risk holistic solution to anxiety and stress. Many people deal with daily stresses from uncontrollable outside sources that can negatively affect one’s health. With so many people suffering from these anxiety triggers, acupuncture has been proven to treat symptoms of stress and anxiety better than other methods.

Depression

Depression affects a large number of people and can bring on horrible side effects. Migraines are often paired with depression and acupuncture can effectively treat both. By inserting needles into points of the body that are thought to hold negative emotion and energy, there is a release that can help symptoms of depression.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Acupuncture can influence your mind in positive ways. Specifically, for PTSD, acupuncture can control both nervous functioning and stress levels. This is a great way for PTSD patients such as veterans to relieve their symptoms without recalling past trauma. However, this treatment is not limited to veterans and can be successful in treating all types of PTSD.

Sexual Abuse

Acupuncture has been very successful in healing body trauma such as sexual abuse. It has been found that many people, especially young women, with unhealed trauma will face illness earlier on in life. Acupuncture works to heal both the body trauma and attached illnesses. By taking a patient out of fight or flight mode, or the sympathetic nervous system, and bringing them back into their parasympathetic nervous system, balance can be restored. Acupuncture offers this peace of mind for patients recovering from sexual abuse.

Insomnia

Stress and anxiety can have a ripple effect on sleep patterns and lead to insomnia. Acupuncture can help produce more melatonin (the sleep hormone) to give patients a better night’s rest. The benefits of acupuncture for insomnia include falling asleep faster, less stress, and less chronic pain that could be keeping you up at night.

ADHD / Concentration

Acupuncture can be used as an alternative to western medication for treating ADHD and overall concentration. Acupuncture can improve all of the symptoms of ADHD such as focus and attention, mood changes, fidgeting, hyperactivity and concentration. Children with ADHD can especially benefit from this method as it does not come with the same side effects of prescriptions.

Mental Clarity

For people who find it difficult to stay concentrated, remember small tasks, or organize their thoughts, acupuncture can help them reach mental clarity. A healthy mind can improve one’s day immensely by maximizing your brain power. Acupuncture works to bring this balance and decrease outside stresses that can negatively affect one’s ability to concentrate and think clearly.

Headaches / Migraines

Headaches and migraines are extremely common and can take over one’s life. Acupuncture stimulates the immune and circulatory systems in order to heal both headaches and migraines. It uses pressure points to relieve your pain in a safe way. Whether your headaches stem from sinus inflammation, rebounds from pain medication, or general stress, acupuncture can balance your body’s energy to reduce the symptoms and pain.

As most of these psycho-emotional factors can have a ripple effect on each other, acupuncture works to heal the whole body. The results of an acupuncture session can span across many different mental health issues such as healing stress and anxiety, insomnia, and mental clarity. Acupuncture serves as a safe alternative to western medicine that usually targets one problem at a time. Acupuncture can help with a variety of problems by healing both physical and mental health.

*Total Health offers Acupuncture in Florham Park and Berkeley Heights.
*Acupuncture is covered by most insurances.

LEARN MORE ABOUT ACUPUNCTURE

“Healing Trauma in the Body.” Julie Nelson Acupuncture, julienelsontcm.com/healing-trauma-in-the-body/

“How to Cure Insomnia with Acupuncture.” Bulletproof, 14 Oct. 2020, www.bulletproof.com/sleep/sleep-hacks/how-to-cure-insomnia-with-acupuncture/

Levarda, Theodore. “Acupuncture for PTSD and Trauma.” Morningside Acupuncture, Morningside Acupuncture, 16 Mar. 2021, www.morningsideacupuncturenyc.com/blog/acupuncture-for-post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd

www.facebook.com/truspine “Acupuncture and ADHD/ADD: San Francisco Chiropractic & Acupuncture.” Truspine, 25 Feb. 2019, www.truspinesf.com/acupuncture-and-adhd/