Stress is a given circumstance. It is inevitably going to enter your world. The question is, how does it affect your life? If you’re sleeping too much or too little, eating too much or too little, feeling agitated on a consistent basis, feeling less social, having unusual menstrual cycles (for women), or experiencing headaches or migraines, it may be time to consider managing that stress. Stress, in its worst form over long periods of time can contribute to brain shrinkage and heart disease.
Things like yoga, meditation and vacation certainly help. But sometimes it’s hard to make the time for that yoga class, the 10 minutes for meditation, and those vacations, while fun, can be stressful, too – tying up loose ends at work to get ready to leave, facing the mountain of work upon your return, and if you have children, packing and planning for them as well.
DASHA® licensed acupuncturist Easter Yi notes, “Often in my initial consultations with patients before we begin a treatment program, I will discover, in our dialogue, that my patient is experiencing a significant amount of stress that is affecting his or her daily life, and so addressing that becomes just as important as the initial reason they entered our office.” Acupuncture balances your energy and blood flow better, so your body can mellow out and go back into balance, which is where it wants to be.
Many patients fall asleep during a session or immediately following one. Yi explains, “I may see a patient with a high level of stress in his or her life once a week to every other week; others merely come in for a tune-up when necessary.” Acupuncture for stress helps the body to release endorphins and at a molecular level, it lowers stress hormones. Syringe needles used to administer shots or draw blood are hollow and invasive, meant to cut through the skin. Acupuncture needles are solid, and they more or less slide through. You may feel a slight sensation upon entry of the needle, but many patients don’t feel a thing. Blood rushes to the area of entry, but not for long.
A lot of people are resistant to the idea of acupuncture simply because they don’t know what it entails. It is an eastern science that has been around for thousands and thousands of years, much longer than western medicine. If stress is encroaching your life in such a way that it is affecting your well-being and the gym or yoga or yearly trip to Bali aren’t helping, consider managing your stress through acupuncture.
DASHA® is a luxury lifestyle brand and New York City-based wellness center created to offer a truly holistic approach to wellness. To learn more, visit dashawellness.com.
