Why Acupuncture Can Help You Through The Most Wonderful (And Stressful!) Time of the Year

It seems like each year the decorations go up earlier, the sales get pushed up a bit, and the radio stations start pumping out the same 8 songs over and over again before everyone’s even ready. But now there’s no escaping it—we’re officially in the throes that is the Holiday Season.

Even for those of us whom this is the best time of the year, the holidays are never not stressful. There’s lots of running around to see family and friends, work to get done before the calendar turns over, turkeys and desserts to be made, gifts to be bought. And for some out there, the hustle and bustle of the holidays can exacerbate our anxieties and lead to high stress.

It’s as good a time of year as ever to take advantage of acupuncture’s unique ability to help the body and mind relax, reduce anxiety, and operate at its peak. Acupuncture improves myriad bodily functions, particularly the nervous system which controls so much of how our mind feels and what response it creates in the body,

“Depending on where the needles go, acupuncture can cause the nervous system to produce painkilling chemicals, jump-start the body’s natural ability to heal itself, or stimulate the part of the brain that controls emotions, including anxiety,” writes Everyday Health.

The holidays are a time that can feel very go go go, where we don’t have as much time as we normally do to ourselves to recharge and relax. Acupuncture isn’t going to make your life less busy, but by regulating the body’s energy (or qi), consistent treatments can help you make the most of the time your body and mind is supposed to be is relaxing, like when you’re sleeping.

In a personal testimonial at You Beauty, writer Avital Norman Nathman shared, “I would always have the best sleep of the week the night after my acupuncture appointment. And I would also feel lighter. My chest wouldn’t be clenched as tightly and the raw current of anxiety that seems to continuously float just beneath the surface of my skin was dissipate for a while, allowing me to experience a semblance of normalcy, if only for a little while.

This year, let the holidays the special time of year they’re supposed to be by making acupuncture a regular part of your mental, physical, and emotional wellness routine.

Why Acupuncture Should Be Part of Your Wellness Routine

We concentrate here a lot on the many specific healing benefits of acupuncture. To everything from common ailments like allergies or dry skin to more unique and specific ailments like Ankylosing Spondylitis, there is an incredibly wide range of reasons to seek out acupuncture treatment.

But you don’t necessarily have to have something “wrong” to think that acupuncture treatment can benefit you.

In fact, for many people, regularly receiving acupuncture treatment is just a part of their wellness routine, alongside mindfulness and meditation, yoga, exercise, and other types of emotional or physical therapy.

When something specific is ailing the body, acupuncture works to help the body naturally heal itself by opening up the pathways in our body to allow energy to flow freely and reduce pain, inflammation and other causes of discomfort. With that being said, the body is always working, always under some sort of duress along with our minds and emotions. Our day to day lives are filled with the ups and downs of life, and the burden of that rollercoaster is placed on the body.

Consistent acupuncture acts as a stress reducer, keeping the body’s qi regulated and operating at its peak to keep us feeling energized, free and at ease. This helps particularly as the rigors of everyday life—whether it be at work, school, or taking care of a family—unpredictably take their toll. Without a consistent wellness routine, of which acupuncture can be a part of, the impact of stress becomes more acute. An effective wellness routine doesn’t eliminate those things from happening (nothing can!) but it helps our minds and bodies respond in the best possible way so that we can mentally and physically compartmentalize and stay present. Acupuncture helps us recover faster, whether that’s from a medial ailment or from a frustrating day at the office.

And when something does pop up that needs more targeted care, you’ll already have your acupuncture appointment on the books. Just let your acupuncturist know what’s up, and they’ll adjust the treatment accordingly.

So when you’re planning out your wellness calendar, don’t forget to find time for a regular visit to the acupuncturist!

Acupuncture Helps Veterans with PTSD Sleep Better

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, otherwise known as PTSD, is a disorder that develops in people after they have experienced a shocking, scary or traumatic event. It can either be short term or chronic, and symptoms include bad dreams and trouble sleeping, feeling tense and on edge, having angry outbursts, depression, and more. PTSD affects around 8% of Americans, around 24 million people.

While anyone who experiences a traumatic experience can become affected by PTSD, Awareness around PTSD has grown in the public consciousness over the past few years in relation to military veterans who suffer from it. The situations that our servicemen and women endure are unsurprisingly incredibly difficult to deal with emotionally. Unfortunately, adequate care for our veterans is not always top of mind in our country.

Thankfully, studies are beginning to show what acupuncturists have known—that the ancient practice is an effective, safe, and lasting treatment for PTSD, particularly the insomnia and uneven sleep patterns that veterans suffer from. A recent survey done at the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Georgia in conjunction with Emory University determined gave a group of veterans, with a mean age of 40 and suffering from PTSD and mild traumatic brain injuries 10 acupuncture administrations. The other half of the group received sham acupuncture, and the findings were clear.

“Acupuncture provides meaningful relief for a particularly recalcitrant problem affecting large segments of the veteran population,” the study said. The relief was judged by sleep study, measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and showed that those who received acupuncture received a 2.7% increase in sleep efficiency.

If you or anyone you know suffers from PTSD and particularly struggles with sleeping, let them know that acupuncture is here to treat them safely and for the long term. And don’t forget to thank them for their sacrifice and service to our country!