Exercise - Yoga & Mindfulness
Regular exercise can really help settle anxiety. Yoga is particularly recommended with it's focus on breathing. Mind training practices such as mindfulness are recommended also.
Diet
Keep your diet unstimulating to lessen agitation in an unsettled mind. Avoid caffeine, chocolate, sugar. You will receive tailored dietary advice in your acupuncture or acupressure consultation with me. Book here.
Books & References
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Recipes for Self-Healing, Daverick Leggett, 1999, Meridian Press, (Ref 1. p. 74)
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Helping Ourselves, A Guide to Traditional Chinese Food Energetics, Daverick Leggett, 2014, Meridian Press
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Anxiety UK, Acupuncture Service (Ref 2)
Useful Links
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BAcC Acupuncture & Insomnia Research Factsheet
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BAcC Acupuncture & Anxiety Research Factsheet
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BAcC Acupuncture & Stress Research Factsheet
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Is acupuncture any good for relieving depression or anxiety? BAcC 'Ask an Expert'
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How many sessions are necessary for treating anxiety and should I notice a difference immediately? BAcC 'Ask an Expert'
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Anxiety where will the needles be put? BAcC 'Ask an Expert'
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Acupuncture & Acupressure for Pregnancy and Childbirth, Debra Betts
Biomedical Interpretation of how acupuncture may help anxiety
This information is a direct quotation from the British Acupuncture Council's research factsheet, Acupuncture and Anxiety, November 2014.
"Research has shown that acupuncture treatment may specifically benefit anxiety disorders and symptoms of anxiety by:
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Acting on areas of the brain known to reduce sensitivity to pain and stress, as well as promoting relaxation and deactivating the 'analytical' brain, which is responsible for anxiety and worry (Hui 2010).
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Regulating levels of neurotransmitters (or their modulators) and hormones such as serotonin, noradrenaline, dopamine, GABA, neuropeptide Y and ACTH; hence altering the brain's mood chemistry to help to combat negative affective states (Lee 2009; Samuels 2008; Zhou 2008; Yuan 2007).
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Stimulating production of endogenous opioids that affect the autonomic nervous system (Arranz 2007). Stress activates the sympathetic nervous system, while acupuncture can activate the opposing parasympathetic nervous system, which initiates the relaxation response.
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Reversing pathological changes in levels of inflammatory cytokines that are associated with anxiety (Arranz 2007)
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Reversing stress-induced changes in behaviour and biochemistry (Kim 2009).
Acupuncture can be safely combined with conventional treatments such as medication or psycho-educational therapy, possibly enhancing their beneficial effects (Courbasson 2007) and reducing unwanted side-effects (Yuan 2007)"