Living with Anxiety

Anxious thoughts and feelings can overtake us all at times, but for some this is a daily/regular occurrence. Day to living with daily interruption of thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations in the body (heart palpitations, knotted stomach, difficulty breathing, etc.) related to anxiety are common.

Anxiety in oriental medicine (OM) can be caused by many different patterns. With OM pattern analysis, we ask a patient where their anxiety is felt in the body and what other emotions and physical symptoms coincide with it. Acupuncture treatments are always highly individualized. In this article we’ll explore two patterns and provide OM tips to relieve anxiety and help you feel calm and centered again.

Balance your yin and yang
The concept of yin and yang is more complex than this, but for the purpose of this topic the head and upper body are yang while the feet and lower body are yin. Some people with anxiety experience it as heat in the head, with their minds racing while the feet are cold and feel immobilized; in OM we call this ‘excess above, deficiency below’ or excess yang above, preventing yang Qi from flowing downward preventing yin from filling up and rising to cool the mind and calm the heart. There are also usually other symptoms, such as heart palpitations, digestive problems, a feeling like something is stuck in the throat and for women, menstrual issues.

Medications prescribed for anxiety can come with serious side effects and/or may not provide all the relief needed. Acupuncture can help. Click on the tip sheet below for a list of acupuncture points you can put pressure on yourself to help alleviate symptoms temporarily and more.

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