Stress in the 21st century is all about our efforts to continually adapt to modern living situations. As such the effects of stress occur more so at a psychological and emotional level than the more physical situation of our ancestors. Stress lurks invisibly in the background of everyday life: driving in traffic, study and exams, mundane and repetitive tasks, the effort of sustaining relationships both at work and within families, work tenure uncertainty, the rising costs of living, work/home life balance and just what it takes to ‘keep it all together’. Our bodies are affected in ways we are not consciously aware of, but have been coined as ‘fight, flight and freeze’ responses. These continue inexorably until the Depositphotos_24468927_xsaccumulated damage pierces a threshold and things start to overtly break up… and down. Witness the rise and rise of problems such as hypertension, cancer, heart disease, obesity, strokes, various body pains and ailments, addictions, diabetes, irritable bowel disease, insomnia, depression, anxiety and so on.

Alter stress patterns with a monthly treatment

Acupuncture, being an essential component of the overall approach of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), can be readily utilised in our efforts to assuage the effects of stress on our bodies and minds. The effects of daily stress become more noticeable as we age. To counter the erosive quality of stress we need to establish some kind of preventative, proactive regime that can keep a finger on the pulse of change. Most of my clients are benefitting from a monthly maintenance treatment. It enables the practitioner to be aware of any counter-productive dietary habits and to stay on top of accumulative muscular tensions, aches, pains and dysfunctions in the body.

The monthly treatment session can be especially beneficial to women, given that it enables a practitioner to observe the pre and post menstrual phases, to rectify symptoms manifesting therein, and to note cycle irregularities and patterns, which can then be regulated. It is a complicated world inside our hormonal (endocrine) system and dealing with its fluctuations requires constant observation, given that it too is acted upon by various stimuli and stressors from both inner and outer environments.

Informative links:

https://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704841304575137872667749264.html

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2076923/Acupuncture-really-reduce-stress-levels-scientistsclaim-alternative-therapy-experiment.html