Stressed Out
By Tory Wegner, LAc
People use acupuncture to treat a variety of complaints ranging from back pain, acid reflux, to insomnia. Each of them may present with totally different symptoms but there is one thing they all have in common…STRESS! I can honestly say that 99.9% of my patients have some form of stress in their lives whether it’s stress at home (partner, kids, money), work (boss, co-workers, traffic, deadlines, long hours, fear of losing job, no job), or health (poor health, parent’s health, poor nutrition and fitness). All of these situations are stressful and when stress is ongoing or unexpected, it can manifest in a variety of emotional, behavioral, and physical symptoms.
Stress is a real physiological event that starts in the brain with the release of stress hormones which trigger a complex series of reactions in the body including a raise in blood-sugar, increased heartbeat and blood pressure, the tensing of muscles, and the diversion of blood from the gut to the extremities. This response is controlled by the sympathetic nervous system and is commonly referred to as the “fight or flight” response because your body is ready to take action in order to get you away from the stressful situation. Prior to our busy lives the “fight or flight” response was great because it was designed for short bursts of energy to prepare us for action (i.e. run away from the tiger…), but now our lives are so hectic we are frequently in a state of “fight or flight” and our bodies are not getting the time it needs to “rest and digest,” which are functions controlled by the parasympathetic nervous system.
Since stress causes physiological and emotional responses it can translate into physical illness such as insomnia, muscle tension, headache, GI issues, ulcers, fatigue, high blood pressure, and even cardio-vascular disease. Emotional manifestations of stress include anxiety, nervousness, over or under eating, depression, loss of enthusiasm, and mood changes. People under chronic stress have a higher tendency of trying to cope with these physical and emotional issues and make themselves feel better by engaging in unhealthy behaviors such as excessive use of alcohol, drugs, smoking, or food. While these might provide short-term relief, they actually continue to trigger the stress response in the brain and cause a viscous cycle of symptoms and unhealthy behaviors.
Here’s an example of a patient who comes in for acupuncture with the main complaint of several headaches a week but says that everything else is “fine” and they are “healthy.” After asking further questions it comes out that the patient also has some insomnia and takes a sleep aid or glass of wine occasionally, has reflux and takes prilosec, has a lot of muscular tension in their neck and upper shoulders, which sometimes contributes to the headaches, and they tend to be worried or have some low level anxiety. None of these symptoms are severe but they are starting to add up, and if left untreated, could get worse.
Now I’m sure at this point many of you are thinking that I just described your symptoms and you can really relate! Don’t despair, you may not be able to change jobs, schedule, husband, or kids, and make more hours in the day, but you can start honestly looking at the stressors in your life and put tools in place (exercise, yoga, meditation, hobbies etc.) to help make yourselves and everyone around you happier and healthier!
The person in the above example usually does really well with acupuncture because even though the symptoms seem unrelated, acupuncture is not about chasing symptoms but about treating the root cause and the person as a whole. So by helping relax the body, release chemicals in the brain that counteract the stress response, and encourage the body into the “rest and digest” (parasympathetic) mode acupuncture helps the body lower blood pressure and heart rate, increase circulation, relax the muscles, and calm the mind, ultimately helping the body reach it’s natural state of balance. This state of balance feels GREAT and allows everything, including the stressors in your life, feel more manageable. It doesn’t really matter what your symptoms are, stress almost always plays a role, and the physiological changes that acupuncture produces makes it a good choice for dealing with the physical and emotional manifestations of stress.