We take exams, pay bills, interact with family and co-workers, and drive in bad weather. These and many other situations can cause anxiety. This is the body’s physical reaction to stress. However, some people may feel these symptoms even after the stressful scenarios have disappeared. Symptoms of anxiety may include:
- Excessive on-going worry or tension
- Feeling edgy or restless
- Having an unrealistic view of problems~ making problems out of smaller issues
- Palpitations (an uneasy awareness of one’s own heart beating)
- Headaches
- Sweating
- Easily startled
- Insomnia or difficulty falling asleep
- Difficulty in concentration
- Muscle tension and fatigue
In Chinese medicine there are two ways to treat anxiety. One is to treat the symptoms, and another is to treat the root cause. If someone is greatly suffering from their anxiety, it might be best at first to try and alleviate the symptoms quickly. However, this is not a long-term solution. It is important for the practitioner to discern what is causing the patient to suffer with anxiety at a deeper level.
Patients frequently give us clues when talking about emotions. Emotions are linked to the organ systems of the body. For example, fear is a frequent emotion associated with anxiety and from a Traditional Chinese medicine outlook, this is related to the kidney system of energy. Balancing and restoring the kidney energy would be needed to move forward.
Acupuncture can help restore and maintain balance of the body’s organ systems. Many herbal formulas are helpful as well. Meditation can help with anxiety on several levels. It can help to clear the mind, get closer to the soul and realize that one can make choices about how to react to outside stimulus. Breathing exercises involved in meditation also have an impact on the amount of anxiety one might feel.
These are just a few of the ways that Traditional Chinese medicine can help the person who suffers with anxiety. Your practitioner can help you get the symptoms under control and treat the root causes of anxiety.
