Anxiety and Acupuncture: How to Balance your Chi

Using acupuncture for anxiety is a common and effective treatment that helps to calm nerves and promote a sense of peace, balance, and restoration. The symbol that is often associated with acupuncture is the yin-and-yang figure Qi, which is pronounced “Chi.” I have used acupuncture in my treatments to alleviate anxiety and it has made a huge difference. 

Michelle Wilson has been my practitioner for many years (you can find her information on my resources page) in helping me deal with anxiety. As she explains, “anxiety isn’t caused by imbalances of chemical neurotransmitters, but the disturbance of Chi in the internal organs. Acupuncture for anxiety focuses on calming the organs by reinforcing and reducing the Chi at the meridian point associated with the internal organ. 

When I have a treatment with Michelle, she first checks my pulse and looks at my tongue. Asks follow-up questions regarding how I am feeling then determines my treatment by selecting what meridian points need to be addressed. When she applies the needles it doesn’t hurt, it just feels like a pinch and most times I feel a rush of energy shoot up my body followed by a sense of calming. Most of the time when she leaves the room for about 20 minutes, I fall asleep! 

Here are four symptoms and acupuncture points to help relieve anxiety and balance your Chi: 

1) Headaches: Acupuncture can help relieve migraines or tension headaches. The place where the needle is inserted is between the eyebrows called Yintang, which really allows the body and spirit to relax. 

2) Depression: There is an acupressure pint on the ear that relieves stress. The Chinese call it “Shen Men” or “The Gate of Heaven.” How it was explained to me is that the Chinese believe that this pressure point brings celestial energy to the whole body. It works every time! 

3) Insomnia: The acupressure points between your heel and anklebones (on both sides) have been used to relieve and prevent insomnia. These points generally hurt when Michelle places the needles on both sides of the feet. But insomnia at times have been a struggle for me in the past. 

4) Heart: This point is located on the ulnar sides of the wrist and works to calm the shen. This acupressure point helps to release repressed emotions and helps by calming the heart. This is my favorite point as it is always good to keep your heart open. 

There are many other treatments that acupuncture can address. My experience has been to relieve the symptoms mentioned above. So far it has proven to me to be a wonderful benefit in helping to feel more balanced and at peace.

Photo credit: Images by Amy Treasure and Toa Heftiba