Anxiety is understood as an involuntary response of the organism to both internal and external stimuli that are perceived by the sufferer as dangerous. They can be images, thoughts, ideas, places, people….. It appears an unpleasant feeling or gives physical symptoms or tension.
In normal state (not pathological) it is a reaction of the body that allows us to react in front of the situations of danger. This would be the adaptive anxiety, which is positive and necessary to a certain degree to manage through life and to be cautious in front of potentially dangerous situations.
When we exceed a certain intensity or adaptive capacity between the individual and the surrounding environment this situation becomes abnormal and symptoms appear. They are usually very unclear and very diverse.
We are talking about mental or physical symptoms or behavioral alterations in this situation. We also have to discard physical illnesses that could give among their symptoms an increase of anxiety. It is frequent that many patients before being diagnosed with anxiety go through a lot of specialists.
What do we mean when we talk about anxiety attacks?
Anxiety attacks are also known as panic attacks. A sudden onset of intense fear or discomfort can last from minutes to hours. Depending on what the cause or triggering situation is, they can last longer and become a big problem.
How does acupuncture help anxiety?
Acupuncture is of great help in the treatment of anxiety especially in mild cases or in early stages. It is also frequent that we can achieve that the anxiolytics are needed in less quantity or that they make the effect that has not been achieved.
When the acupuncturist implants the small and practically painless needles, there is an immediate release of endorphins that produces relaxation and a feeling of well being from the first moment. The effects accumulate with the addition of treatments to achieve in many cases that the symptoms remit or reduce them to one extent or another. Much will depend on the reaction of each person to treatment as happens with the use of anxiolytics.
How many acupuncture sessions are necessary for anxiety?
The number of sessions needed is difficult to predict because each person drags its accompanying pathology, family circumstances, work and a long etc. that makes it different from others.
Anxiety before a competitive examination is not the same as anxiety due to a divorce or the death of a loved one. Neither is a dismissal from work, a continuous work overload or the diagnosis of a serious illness the same.
Nor is the same situation a person who already comes to the consultation with an ongoing treatment with varying results and would like to stop them, that one that does not make effect, or another who has only had an attempt but has been advised to be treated to avoid going worse.
We can also see cases of anxiety by positive emotions, it would not be produced by fears or fears but an acceleration that can generate symptoms.
All these big differences that can produce the same range of symptoms, we have to value them differently to be able to offer each person the best help we are capable of.
What are the benefits of acupuncture compared to other anxiety treatments?
The benefits of acupuncture compared to other treatments are clear, as it will not produce dependence or tolerance (need more and more medication), will not produce no side damage or side effects. That is, it is a very good option to treat anxiety or as an adjunct to other treatments to strengthen the patient and get to eliminate them if possible.
With our treatments the intention is to regulate the person as a whole, so with a complete medical history we will know where and how we have to act.
Another characteristic is that we will not be guided by established protocols and each person will have an absolutely personalized treatment according to their characteristics and situation.