Chinese Medicine Successfully Treats Stress and Anxiety

Stress and anxiety are emotions that play a big part in our daily lives. We live in a fast-paced society where we find ourselves talking on our cell phones while driving, working long hours to afford our lifestyles, even cramming our vacations full of unending “fun.” When do we give ourselves time to just relax?

Under stress, our bodies produce a variety of chemicals, including adrenaline and cortisol, that get dumped into our bloodstream to help us react to a potential threat. Adrenaline is a hormone that works in the short term. It gets released and quickens our pulse, makes our breathing shallow, increases perspiration and prepares us to physically get out of the way of the stressor. Cortisol has a longer term effect and accumulates in the body when adrenaline is released repeatedly.

The Seven Dwarves of Menopause: Itchy, Bitchy, Sweaty, Sleepy, Bloated, Forgetful and Psycho​

The other day I stumbled upon a reference to a book entitled Menopause and the Mind by Dr. Claire Warga. I have not read the book and am not recommending it here but the following paragraph caught my eye:

“I’m losing it.” women say. “I’m going out of my mind,” “I’m falling apart at the seams.” “I’m flipping out.” “I’m cracking up.” “I’m having a nervous breakdown,” “I’m just not myself.” “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” I do the strangest things.” “I think I’m getting early Alzheimer’s.”

According to WebMD, up to 58 million Americans suffer from IBS, with woman
affected more frequently than men.

​Treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) can be quite difficult to diagnose because there is no definitive test to determine if one has it. ​In fact, a diagnosis of IBS is based on a set of symptoms such as constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloating, mucous in the stools, a feeling of an incomplete bowel movement, urgency associated with a bowel movement, gas, nausea and vomiting AND your doctor having ruled out more serious conditions such as bowel cancer, fibromyalgia, endometriosis, intestinal parasites, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis or celiac disease. Tests such as colonoscopies do not show any signs of disease.

What Happens In An Acupuncture Session?

The majority of my patients come to see me with not much idea what acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) can do for them. Many of them tell me that they have tried various doctors, taken medications, had surgeries and feel like they are desperate for some help with their condition. I hear again and again that “You are my last resort!”

​Why is this? I feel that some of this is fear.