Sticking multiple needles into your skin during times of stress may not seem like self-care. Nonetheless, acupuncture has been used for thousands of years in traditional Chinese medicine to treat a variety of diseases and relieve pain.
To treat anxiety, needles are inserted into the inside of the wrist, between the eyes, and into the ears. The efficacy of this practice is also supported by anecdotal and empirical evidence.
According to international media reports, “Acupuncture relieves anxiety by regulating the nervous system, particularly by restoring balance to branches of the autonomic nervous system,” said Ashley Flores, an acupuncturist in Chicago. “Acupuncture treatments help return the body to a relaxed state where the sympathetic system is more balanced and no longer dominant.”
Energy, or “qi,” is said to travel through the body along specific pathways in Chinese medicine.
“Sometimes energy is blocked, deficient, excessive or imbalanced. This throws the body out of balance and ultimately causes disease,” says Dr. S., who is board-certified in Oriental and Integrative Medicine and practices in Miami Beach, Florida. Elizabeth Trattner says: she said “Acupuncture restores homeostasis and promotes healing.”
Your body isn't just randomly covered in needles. The exact area to be inserted according to physical and mental symptoms is called acupuncture point. Possible acupuncture points for anxiety include:
Between the eyebrows.
Inside the wrist.
On your feet.
Breastbone or ears.