Acupuncture For Anxiety: 5 Different Causes Of Anxiety In Chinese Medicine

Anxiety is the most common mental health disorder affecting Australians. 1 in 6 of us will suffer from anxiety (3.4 million), and yet, less than a third of those will actually reach out for help.

There’s a stigma around asking for help and a culture of pushing through and just putting up with issues (or attempting to ignore them all together). We tend to believe that anxiety is purely mental, and so we should just be able to think our way through, but this is not the case.

We like to think we’re in control of our mind and thoughts, but in reality, our thoughts are heavily influenced by our physiology and how well our body is functioning.

In Chinese medicine we view the mind as a continuum of the body. Two sides of the same coin - intangible and tangible aspects of a whole. So when someone is coming to try acupuncture for anxiety, we need to take a whole body approach.

Here’s 5 different causes we might consider to be driving anxiety from a Chinese medicine perspective. Each person’s situation is unique and may also be a combination of these factors. Individualised assessment and treatment from an experienced practitioner is always recommended.

1. Inflammation: When your body is inflamed, your physiology is wired to withdraw and become more alert. When this becomes chronic, which it does in many cases of chronic illness and with exposure to environmental toxins, this can fuel an anxiety condition. This type of anxiety tends to be associated with other body symptoms such as frequent colds & flus, swollen glands, fatigue and generalised body aches. Addressing this imbalance requires careful support of the immune system, and encouraging the body to rid itself of pathogens, without overwhelming the body.
   

2. Gut microbiome imbalances: Through the gut-brain axis, the health of your digestion has a direct effect on the state of your mind, mood and thoughts. Certain gut microbial imbalances can actually hijack your brain and cause you to crave certain things or act out of character. This type of anxiety typically is typically associated with chronic digestive symptoms like food sensitivities, bloating, irregular or frequent bowel motions, and thick tongue coating. It’s important to address the microbial imbalances and restore a healthy gut to make progress with this form of anxiety.
   

3. Emotional trauma or chronic stress: This is probably the most obvious one. Prolonged stress or an emotional trauma can reset our nervous system to be stuck in an elevated sympathetic fight or flight response. This is a whole body response, not just in your head. This anxiety will tend to be associated with difficulty winding down, issues with sleep, muscle tension (particularly neck, jaw and shoulders), overactive mind, and irritability. Stress and emotional traumas tend to be stored in the body somewhere, so it’s important to work out where this tension is being held and work on releasing that. Nervous system regulation and relaxation will also be important for this.
   

4. Impaired circulation: Circulation is everything in Chinese medicine. If an area in the body or organ is not receiving proper circulation, this can lead to various symptoms. When there is restriction of circulation in areas such as the head, neck, and chest, this can lead to or contribute to anxiety. Other symptoms we would look for would be any sharp stabbing pain, history of physical trauma or surgeries, dark spider veins, dusky dry skin, purple tinged tongue or large sublingual veins (on the underside of your tongue). Identifying the key area or areas of blockage are important and then working restoring proper bloodflow is how we work with anxiety from this cause.

   
   

5. Lacking nourishment: This is the case when our tissues or organs are not receiving the nourishment or resources they need, not from restriction of circulation, but from some deficiency within the circulation. This type of anxiety tends to appear with fatigue, feeling cold easily, weakness, pale skin and tongue, and losing hair easily.

   Our job here is to provide the body with the necessary resources to help support good health. Ensuring an appropriate diet is crucial. Herbal medicine and/or some targeted supplementation may be useful.

If you would like to try acupuncture for anxiety in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, consider Acupuncture Grove in Bondi Sydney. Servicing areas such as Bondi Junction, Bondi Beach, Coogee, Clovelly, Bronte, Waverly, Randwick, Maroubra, Double Bay, Watson's Bay, Vaucluse and surrounding Sydney suburbs. You can book online here or reach out with any questions here.