Acupuncture for Anxiety

How Chinese medicine understands anxiety

In Chinese medicine, the mind (the Shen) is said to live in the Heart, and it settles when Qi moves freely and there is enough Blood and Yin to hold it. Anxiety is seen as the Shen being disturbed, either because something is pushing it up or because there is too little to anchor it. The pattern shows in how your anxiety feels, when it comes on, and what else goes with it.

The common patterns are:

• Liver Qi stagnation. Stress builds and has nowhere to go. You feel tense, sigh a lot, get tight in the neck and shoulders, and your stomach reacts when you are worried. Symptoms rise and fall with what is going on in your life.
• Stagnation turning to heat. Stuck Qi heats up and rises. Add headaches, a red face, a short temper, heartburn, and trouble falling asleep.
• Heart and Spleen deficiency. Long-term worry and overthinking wear down digestion and Blood. You feel anxious and tired at the same time, with palpitations, poor appetite and light, broken sleep.
• Heart and Kidney Yin deficiency. Anxiety that is worse in the evening or at night, with hot flushes, night sweats and a dry mouth. It is common in perimenopause and after long periods of overwork.
• Phlegm-heat disturbing the Heart. Agitation, a heavy or tight chest, a bitter taste, restless sleep and a thick, sticky tongue coating.

Moving stuck Qi is a different job from building Blood or Yin, so the diagnosis changes the treatment.

What treatment involves

Your first visit covers what your anxiety feels like, when it started, what sets it off, and how you sleep, eat and digest. I also ask about medicines and any other care you are getting. I check your tongue and pulse, then explain your pattern in plain terms.

Acupuncture for anxiety typically uses fine needles at points on the arms, legs, head and ears, chosen for the pattern. Treatment aims to calm the mind, ease the physical side of anxiety such as a tight chest or upset stomach, and support sleep. Poor sleep and anxiety feed each other; the insomnia page covers that side.

Chinese herbal medicine can be part of the plan. You get a formula written for your pattern and adjusted as things change. If you take an antidepressant, an anti-anxiety medicine or any supplement, tell me so the formula is chosen with that in mind.

Plan on 5–10 treatments to judge progress. The clinic is in Keswick, and treatment runs alongside care from your family doctor, counsellor or psychologist.

Between visits

• Cut back on caffeine, including energy drinks and strong tea. It can bring on a racing heart and jitters that feel like anxiety.
• Slow your breathing when you notice tension: breathe in through your nose for about four seconds and out for about six, for a few minutes.
• Move every day. A brisk walk outside is enough to start.
• Keep regular sleep and meal times. Skipped meals and short nights make anxiety worse.
• Go easy on alcohol and cannabis. Both can raise anxiety the next day.

When to see your doctor first

Anxiety is treated best with your doctor involved. See your doctor if:

• Anxiety is stopping you from working, going out or looking after yourself.
• You have panic attacks, or you avoid places for fear of having one.
• You have chest pain, fainting, or a heartbeat that is very fast or irregular. Have your heart checked first; if the chest pain is severe or sudden, call 911.
• Your anxiety started with a new medicine, or you have weight loss, tremor and heat intolerance, which can point to a thyroid problem.
• You are using alcohol or drugs to cope.

If you have thoughts of harming yourself or ending your life, get help now. In Canada, call or text 9-8-8 at any time to reach the Suicide Crisis Helpline. If you are in immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.