Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine for Treatment of Anxiety

by Joe Recsnik | Apr 19, 2022 | Acupuncture

Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine for Treatment of Anxiety

By: Joe Recsnik L.Ac.

HOME

Anxiety is a classic example of the inseparable interconnectedness of our physical and mental emotional health. When an acute anxiety attack takes hold, it’s a jittery and scary roller coaster ride as physical and mental emotional symptoms seemingly strike simultaneously and feed off each other creating a vicious self-perpetuating cycle.

The holistic diagnosis and treatment approach of classical Chinese medicine acknowledges and embraces that our bodies can experience physical symptoms as a result of mental emotional stress or conversely that not feeling physically well can trigger increased mental emotional dis-ease. Due to its holistic mind-body approach to healing, acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are particularly well suited to treat both the mental emotional and physical dysfunctional aspects of anxiety attacks.

Physical symptoms of anxiety include:

· Stomach pain, nausea, digestive trouble

· Headache

· Insomnia or poor sleep quality

· Weakness or fatigue

· Rapid breathing or shortness of breath

· Increased heart rate of palpitations

· Sweating

· Trembling or shaking

· Muscle tension or pain

The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) controls the body’s “fight or flight” response. The “fight or flight” response is our body’s innate survival instinct, enabling us to quickly react in life-threating situations. A carefully orchestrated, yet near instantaneous sequence of hormonal changes and physiological responses helps us fight the threat or flee to safety. Unfortunately, the body can react similarly to non-life-threatening stressors, such as traffic jams, work pressure, and family difficulties.

The SNS functions like a gas pedal in a car. It triggers the “fight or flight” response, providing the body with a burst of energy so that it can respond to perceived dangers. The parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) acts like the brake. The PNS promotes the “rest and digest” response that calms the body down after the danger has passed.

Does acupuncture and Chinese medicine work for anxiety?

YES! Insertion of ultra-fine acupuncture needles at specific point locations on the body triggers the nervous system to release endorphins (your body’s natural “feel good chemicals”) and affects the part of the brain that governs serotonin, a natural neurotransmitter involved with mood.

Certain acupuncture points, such as those located in the ears, activate the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) by stimulating the Vagus nerve. The Vagus nerve is the longest nerve in the body, connecting your brain to many organs including the gut, heart and lungs. The Vagus nerve plays a key role in activating the parasympathetic nervous system “rest and digest” action. In this way stimulating Vagus nerve influences breathing, digestive function and heart rate.

How does Chinese medicine treat anxiety?

According to Five Elements theory of Classical Chinese Medicine, anxiety is the pathological emotional state associated with the Fire element.

The five elements (aka five phases) of Chinese medicine are: Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood.

Each element is responsible for governing a range of worldly phenomena including physical and internal organ function, mental emotional responses, and seasonal characteristics.

In relationship to the internal organ functions:

· Fire phase relates to heart and small intestine function

· Earth phase relates to stomach function

· Metal phase relates lung and large intestine function

The relationship of each phase with the other four is evaluated and addressed through diagnosis and treatment to support physiological function and/or address pathology.

Five Phase theory is a holistic medicine approach of diagnosis and treatment that seeks to treat dis-ease manifestations while simultaneously understanding and addressing root causes. By understanding and addressing symptoms of acute anxiety within each individual’s broader health context, Traditional Chinese Medicine is able to identify and treat many different adverse health scenarios (aka “pattern of disharmony”) associated with effects of stress and anxiety.

Pathological physical symptoms associated with anxiety are characterized by descriptions such as “weak heart yang”, “floating yang”, “ministerial fire flaring”, “heart and kidney not communicating’, “upsurging internal wind”, “water congestion under the heart”, “excess of the stomach domain”, “pericardium dryness”, “blood dryness”, “kidney yang deficiency”, “deficiency taxation” and “blood deficiency”.

How often should you have acupuncture for anxiety?

In the acute phase of severe anxiety, I recommend acupuncture treatment minimally once per week. Once the condition has stabilized and the frequency and severity of occurrence are reduced, maintaining regular follow up acupuncture treatments of 1-2 times per month can be sufficient to minimize anxiety over the long term.

Where do they put acupuncture needles for anxiety?

Auricular acupuncture (or ear acupuncture) points are among the best points to treat anxiety due to the high vagal nerve bundle density in the ears.

Other commonly used acupuncture points include:

· “Spirit Gate”/Shenmen (Heart 7) (on the wrist)

· “Inner Gate”/Neiguan (Pericardium 6) (on the forearm)

· “Hall of Impression”/Yintang (on the forehead)

How long does it take for acupuncture to work for anxiety?

Most patients experience the nervous system calming effects of acupuncture immediately after the initial treatment session. It is not uncommon for patients to report that within a few days the effects of the initial treatment begin to wane. Thus, an initial follow up is usually recommending within a week.

The effects of acupuncture treatments are cumulative; with each successive treatment the period of relief becomes longer and frequency and severity of anxiety related symptoms decrease. Depending on underlying conditions and other individual factors, I may recommend an initial treatment plan of weekly acupuncture sessions for 6-8 weeks. In many cases I will recommend internal treatment with chinse herbal medicine as well.

What Chinese herbs are good for anxiety?

Many Chinese herbal formulas effectively treat anxiety

Some examples of herbal formulas that address anxiety and related symptoms include:

· Guizhi Jia Longgu Muli Tang

· Guizhi Gancao Longgu Muli Tang

· Jinggui Sheqi Wan

· Tianxiong San

· Chaihu Jia Longgu Muli Tang

· Gancao Xie Xin Tang

· Huanglian Tang

· Ling Gui Cao Zao Tang

· Gan Mai Dazao Tang

· Suanzaoren Tang

The key to choosing the correct herbs and herbal formula to effectively treat anxiety is establishing a proper classical Chinese medicine diagnosis. Correct diagnosis is essential to writing an effective herbal prescription. Classically trained herbalists form a Chinese medicine herbal formula diagnosis by utilizing thorough medical history and review of symptoms, forming a differential diagnosis, and performing physical examinations including pulse diagnosis, abdominal palpation (hara diagnosis), and inspecting the tongue.

If you would like to know more about how acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can help your specific case, I offer a FREE 15 minute phone consultation to discuss your health situation and treatment options.

If you or someone you know suffers from anxiety, I look forward to the opportunity to share the relieving benefits of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine with you soon!

Sincerely,

Joe Recsnik L.Ac, DCCM

Licensed Chinese herbalist, acupuncturist, lead herbal pharmacist,

& Founder of POPULUSS Classical Eastern Healing

Proudly serving the nearby communities of Venice, Mar Vista, Inglewood, Ladera Heights, Palms, West Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Westwood, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades, Culver City, Playa Del Rey, Playa Vista, Westchester. LAX and Greater Los Angeles

Meditation – A Daily Workout For Your Mind

by Joe Recsnik | Jan 31, 2022 | Acupuncture

Meditation – A Daily Workout For Your Mind

By: Joe Recsnik L.Ac.

HOME

Since the days of Jack LaLane and Jazzercise, most people would agree on the health benefits of a regular exercise training routine to keep our bodies operating effectively and efficiently. Few would argue the importance of getting our heart rates up or “getting our daily steps in.” On the other hand, popular culture seems generally much less concerned about maintaining a regular training routine for our minds. A quick look at television advertisements would have us believe training our minds isn’t necessary since all our mental worries or agitations can be relieved with a daily dose of one medication or another. Anxiety, depression, insomnia, difficult concentration, ADD, and many others can now be quickly and easily relieved by a little pill. But what if we could reduce the need for such medications simply by focusing a little more time each day on training our minds? What if meditation is the “workout” routine that accomplishes just such a thing?

What do you think of when you think of meditation? When I ask this question, the most common response I get is, “Meditation is stopping the mind from thinking.” Most patients who give this response then express a quick frustration or feeling of inadequacy when it comes to maintaining a meditation practice because they can’t seem to stop the endless chatter of the mind. Yet is it truly the objective of meditation to stop the mind from thinking? After all, the mind’s job is to think! Being upset that our mind won’t stop thinking is like being upset our stomach won’t stop digesting. So what if instead of focusing on stopping thoughts from occurring altogether, we focus on developing an ability to choose which thoughts we allow our attention goes to instead?

There are three essential aspects to any meditation practice: Posture, Breathing, and Attention:

“Posture” refers to sitting up straight with the spine aligned and the top of the head generally over our hips. It is not necessary to sit cross-legged on the ground; sitting up back straight in a chair is fine. But in the meditation world it is generally not acceptable to lie down. Lying down and focusing on our breathing is called “sleeping,” not meditation…

“Breathing” refers to using our attention to allow ourselves to fall into a continual relaxed pattern of breathing. Often during our days when we become stressed our bodies respond by holding or restricting the breath. (This of course disrupts the healthy intake of oxygen and release of carbon dioxide, which subsequently increases the feelings of stress and anxiety we are experiencing.) So once we’ve taken an upright posture first we allow ourselves to breathe in a free and effortless manner. “Free and effortless” means natural breathing: sometimes the breath may be faster, sometimes it may be slower, or deeper, or shallower. It doesn’t matter so much how we breathe as much as maintaining our breathing continually.

“Attention” refers to how we deal with the endless stream of thoughts and feelings that arise during the time we are sitting. Since the mind’s job is to think, and it loves to have something to think about, we can give it something to focus on by counting our breathing. Inhale/exhale…one…inhale/exhale…two… and so on up to ten. Then start over at one again. Following this process, we redirect our minds away from our internal chatter by using a gentle effort to redirect our attention. Here it is very important to remember one key piece of information: In meditation practice, it is not a question of “IF” our minds will wander off and become distracted by the internal thoughts and feelings, but “WHEN” (and how often) this is going to happen. Our mind is eventually going to stray away from our practice of counting the breaths. It is at this moment the practice of meditation happens. At the moment we catch the mind wandering away we notice, “Oh my mind has wandered off again,” and, like clouds in the sky, once we notice we this we allow the moment to pass and simply return to counting our breathing. Each time we perform this simple maneuver of redirecting our attention, it’s like performing a mental push up. This is the game we play with ourselves when we meditate. We start by counting the breath, the mind wanders off, we catch the mind wandering and return the attention to counting the breathing, and repeat and repeat (and repeat).

Just like any exercise routine, mediation is more about the process of consistent effort than the day-to-day “quality” of the meditation session. Like going to the gym, some days meditation feels effortless and energizing. On the other hand, some days it can be very difficult to sit for 20 minutes and it’s difficult to discern if there was any immediate benefit. But indeed over time the benefits of consistent regular meditation practice are profound. As our mental training begins to translate into real world scenarios, we find ourselves better able to choose which things our mind focuses on by releasing thinking patterns that are unproductive. Although we may not be able to control the forces at play in our day-to-day lives, through meditation practice we are able to better control how we choose to react to these external forces and stressors.

So what are you waiting for? Connect to the present moment today, because truly there is no other tangible moment to connect to! Start from where you are and be kind to yourself. Extend to yourself the same loving kindness, compassion, and willingness to forgive that you would extend to your dearest loved ones. In order to establish a successful new routine, try to pick the same time to meditate every day. But remember: meditation is a Practice, not a Philosophy. In order to receive its benefits you must do it (and do it again)! I assure you if you put forth the effort you will receive the benefits!

In Health, –Joe

Resources for further investigation:

Zen Mind Beginner’s Mind By Shunryu Suzhki
How to Meditate by Pema Chodron
Hardcore Zen by Brad Warner