Stress and anxiety are terms that we use to define a state of being and its associated cascade of events (physiological/emotional). This state of being is something that we all have experienced in our lives and it is an innate ‘response’ that has allowed us to survive as a species. For example, if you are a gladiator and about to enter the combat arena, the ‘anxiety’ you may feel and the ‘stress’ response initiated will cause a sympathetic neuron cascade that among other events will shunt blood from your digestive organs to your skeletal muscle via the delicate balance of vasoconstriction/vasodilation, increase your heart rate, increase cellular respiration & essentially your organism operates at a higher metabolic rate. The result being increased energy where it is needed i.e. your biceps (to swing a sword) and not your stomach (no need to digest breakfast).
Now, this is all well and good and stress and anxiety are definitely needed if we have to respond to a higher metabolic demand ‘situation’. However, it is when we get ‘stuck’ in a certain emotion or state of being that it becomes pathological. Imagine you are crossing the road and out of nowhere a car come veering towards you… Your sympathetic neurons fire! And you have the power to leap out of the way and avoid tragedy. Yet even out of harm’s way your heart is still pounding, you feel sweaty, and you are breathing hard. This too is normal, as the adrenals have kicked in due to the sympathetic neuron activation and adrenaline/noradrenaline has been released to prolong and strengthen the sympathetic “Fight or Flight” effect. After 5 – 10 minutes you find your breathing returns to normal, your heart rate has dropped and you are able to release the sympathetic state that essentially saved your life.
Now imagine that a car is veering towards you or that you are a gladiator about to enter a combat arena and you are experiencing all the ‘fight or flight’ cascade of events mentioned above. Yet in reality, there is no car and there is no risk of fighting a lion or imminent danger, you are safe and survival is assured… However you feel stuck in the emotion of anxiety and the physiological responses of stress…
This above scenario is why many individuals seek acupuncture treatment & I can definitely say that in my acupuncture practice I find that nearly all of us have an issue with being ‘stuck’ in a place of anxiety and stress in moments that do not require it. I find that many individuals who present to my acupuncture clinic present with a primary complaint of feeling anxious and stressed or even if there primary complaint is back pain, endometriosis or infertility, there is nearly always a stress/anxiety component we need to address with acupuncture for the successful amelioration of their primary condition/complaint.
Fortunately, acupuncture has an amazing potential to recognise & regulate the individual as a whole entity and not the just ‘the sum of its parts’. Through detailed medical history & palpation of the meridians and reflective areas I am able to diagnose the imbalance through the framework of acupuncture & in doing so we are then together able to release pathological regions/meridians and observe the immediate effect. In doing so physiological neuro-endocrine function can be restored and the end result being a significant betterment in the individuals signs and symptoms.
As always please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.
Warm Regards,
Giancarlo Nerini - Licensed Acupuncturist
Now, this is all well and good and stress and anxiety are definitely needed if we have to respond to a higher metabolic demand ‘situation’. However, it is when we get ‘stuck’ in a certain emotion or state of being that it becomes pathological. Imagine you are crossing the road and out of nowhere a car come veering towards you… Your sympathetic neurons fire! And you have the power to leap out of the way and avoid tragedy. Yet even out of harm’s way your heart is still pounding, you feel sweaty, and you are breathing hard. This too is normal, as the adrenals have kicked in due to the sympathetic neuron activation and adrenaline/noradrenaline has been released to prolong and strengthen the sympathetic “Fight or Flight” effect. After 5 – 10 minutes you find your breathing returns to normal, your heart rate has dropped and you are able to release the sympathetic state that essentially saved your life.
Now imagine that a car is veering towards you or that you are a gladiator about to enter a combat arena and you are experiencing all the ‘fight or flight’ cascade of events mentioned above. Yet in reality, there is no car and there is no risk of fighting a lion or imminent danger, you are safe and survival is assured… However you feel stuck in the emotion of anxiety and the physiological responses of stress…
This above scenario is why many individuals seek acupuncture treatment & I can definitely say that in my acupuncture practice I find that nearly all of us have an issue with being ‘stuck’ in a place of anxiety and stress in moments that do not require it. I find that many individuals who present to my acupuncture clinic present with a primary complaint of feeling anxious and stressed or even if there primary complaint is back pain, endometriosis or infertility, there is nearly always a stress/anxiety component we need to address with acupuncture for the successful amelioration of their primary condition/complaint.
Fortunately, acupuncture has an amazing potential to recognise & regulate the individual as a whole entity and not the just ‘the sum of its parts’. Through detailed medical history & palpation of the meridians and reflective areas I am able to diagnose the imbalance through the framework of acupuncture & in doing so we are then together able to release pathological regions/meridians and observe the immediate effect. In doing so physiological neuro-endocrine function can be restored and the end result being a significant betterment in the individuals signs and symptoms.
As always please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.
Warm Regards,
Giancarlo Nerini - Licensed Acupuncturist
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