You might think acupuncture is for the hip community who doesn’t believe in traditional medicine or for an aged parent with chronic leg pain, but a considerable amount of research indicates that acupuncture could help to treat many conditions, including conditions such as mesothelioma and stress.
Managing stress can be difficult because it might include therapy, which could take months to yield results, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. In addition, it can necessitate anxiety medication, which according to Ladan Eshkevari, a physiologist, certified acupuncturist and the assistant director of the Nurse Anesthesia Program at the School of Nursing & Health Studies at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., can have serious side effects. However, when acupuncture for stress is effective, symptoms tend to dissipate after the first couple of visits, and practitioners such as Eshkevari are certain that it nips the problem in the bud.
Ancient Eastern medicine focuses on a force of energy called Qi or Chi that controls the overall health of the body, according to studies performed at the University of Chicago Medicine. Much like the blood in the circulatory system, Qi traverses through the body on meridians, special pathways through the body. When factors like stress, injury, poor nutrition, or a change in environment disrupt Qi, health issues could ensue, according to the University of Miami Health System. By the insertion of needles at certain points in the body, acupuncturists help to restore the balance of Qi and the body’s overall health.
This concept might seem strange to certain people, but Qi is just believed by many to be a metaphor for metabolic function, which is simply the chemical reactions that constantly take place in the body.
Acupuncturists insert a needle approximately half a millimeter away from a nerve. Depending on where the needles are placed, acupuncture can provoke the nervous system to generate painkilling chemicals, stimulate the body’s ability to heal itself, or help the brain to control emotions, including stress. These results are able to help people feel more stable and treat a multitude of ailments.
Acupuncture has become much more popular since it was first introduced in the US, and now there’s more and more research supporting its effectiveness for stress and other mental conditions.
A study published online in October 2013 in the Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies, students who underwent a 20-minute acupuncture session were found to have less stress and better memory right after treatment than those who didn’t have receive the therapy.
When it comes to trying new forms of therapy such as acupuncture, you don’t have anything to lose. When you are treated by a certified acupuncturist, the risks you might sustain are practically nonexistent and are totally outweighed by the potential benefits. Most persons who receive acupuncture therapy experience better sleep and an enhanced sense of well being.
If you’re currently being treated for stress or other symptoms related to mesothelioma, you might want to add acupuncture to your treatment plan. If you think it benefits you, you can ask your doctor to help you get off your anxiety medicine.
Virgil Anderson
