Acupuncture: A Way To Treat Stress & Anxiety? (Traditional Chinese Medicine View)
Similar to Western Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) identifies that the imbalances in the body caused by stress and anxiety can manifest both physically and mentally. What is great about looking at it from a TCM perspective is that you can categorize the symptoms in relation to specific organ systems and use the energy pathways that flow through the body to rebalance the organ and address multiple symptoms.
To start lets talk about the TCM concept of Qi, which is the energy flow that travels all throughout the body. It is said in TCM, that you are born with a specific amount of “vital” Qi that slowly dwindles as you age. You can never get back the vital Qi that you lose, but you can impact the rate of vital Qi loss through your lifestyle habits. When you have a healthy diet, drink water and practice deep breathing, you are physically adding Qi to your body. This prevents the loss of vital Qi by providing a new source of energy and nutrients within the body. Sleeping well, exercising, meditating and stretching are all great ways to take care of yourself and slow down the loss of vital Qi.
Next, lets look at how Qi travels throughout the body. The TCM concept of “meridian channels” was developed over 5000 years ago and describes a system of pathways that carry Qi throughout the body. There are 12 primary channels, which each associate with a specific organ system. The flow of the channels circulates through the body with three channels going from your chest to your hands, three traveling from your hands to your head, three more from your head to your feet, and finally three from your feet back to your chest. When the body is healthy, or balanced, as they say in TCM, the energy cycles freely through the meridians. When there is an imbalance in either an organ system or physically along the channel, the flow of energy can become excessive, deficient or blocked.
Finally, lets look at the Liver organ system in TCM. I should start with a disclaimer that the organ system theory in TCM is not relating to the physical function of the organ. They actually developed the theory before they had looked inside a human body. Now, there are definitely similarities to how TCM & Western Medicine look at an organ, but I don’t want you worrying about the physical health of your organs when I explain how feeling stressed and anxious cause an imbalance in your liver.
In TCM, the liver is the main organ responsible for ensuring the free flow of Qi throughout the body. The liver also helps to regulate emotions, which makes it the organ that is the most affected by stress and anxiety. This results in the liver Qi becoming stagnated, or stuck.
Lets think of the symptoms we experience when we initially feel stressed. Muscle pain & tension, headaches, clenched jaw, irregular & painful periods for women. These are all symptoms of Liver Qi stagnation. When there is a blockage of Qi flow along a meridian, it will result in pain in that area. Since the Liver is also in charge of regulating emotions, Qi being stuck can also result in strong emotions, such as being easily frustrated, irritable or general moodiness.
Now lets look at how prolonged stress & anxiety can cause the Liver to overact on other organ systems, resulting in a deficiency of Qi. The relationship between the organ systems can be seen here in this diagram. Typically, there is a cyclic flow, as well as a star shape in the middle. When the Liver is out of balance, it tends to overact on the other organs, particularly the spleen & heart. The spleen regulates the digestion of food & production of Qi from food & water. Since we are now looking at a deficiency of Qi, symptoms include inability to properly digest, a lack of desire to eat as well as fatigue & worrying. The heart has the function of housing the mind, so when it becomes deficient, it can result in mental symptoms such as insomnia, depression, low self-esteem and panic attacks, as well as the physical symptom of chest stuffiness.
I don’t know about you, but I myself have experienced the majority of these symptoms at some point or another. Here are some tips of things you can be doing at home to help balance your liver.
Do:
Physical Activity
What better way to get qi flowing than physically moving yourself?! Include activities such as walking, running, swimming, dancing, jumping, biking, tai chi classes and qi gong
Acupressure
There are a number of acupoints throughout the body that can help promote the flow of qi but the main points to ensure a strong flow are LIVER 3 and LARGE INTESTINE 4. Together they are called the “four gates” and can be used to promote the flow of qi throughout the whole body. You can massage each point for anywhere from 30 seconds to a couple minutes anytime you are feeling stressed and anxious.
Mindful Activities
Finding activities that help slow down your active mind and soothe your liver such as yoga, meditation and breathing exercises are important. Any creative activities that you enjoy such as drawing, colouring, painting, journaling, singing or playing an instrument can also help soothe an overactive liver.
Healthy Diet
Include healthy foods such as leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, onions, garlic, beets, blueberries, strawberries, cherries, grapefruit, lemon, lime, peaches
Trout, whitefish, chicken, tofu
Flax, pine nuts, sesame, turmeric, mint, basil, cardamom, fennel, dill, black pepper, rosemary, lemon balma
Rye, quinoa, rice
Honey, apple cider vinegar, olive oil
Also focus on smaller, easy to digest meals
Try not to:
Live a sedentary lifestyle
Keep your emotions bottled up
Become overworked
Eat sugar, dairy & processed foods, greasy fried foods, spicy foods, excessive caffeine, alcohol