I was doing acupuncture on some patients recently for some emotional issues including anxiety and depression. They’ve been making great progress…. symptoms have become much less critical. At the end of the day, our treatments have made them much more “emotionally durable”. Yes, they are still aware of the stress triggers, or the factors that can lead to depression. But instead of becoming “all encompassing” and completely dominate their reality, these triggers are seen as minor annoyances. After sharing in their progress and overall improvement in quality of life, one of my patients asked if acupuncture can help her with her back pain. I was completely surprised that she didn’t know that the most common reason people seek out acupuncture was for back pain. It brought up a discussion on the wide range of conditions that acupuncture can treat. While most people request acupuncture for pain and inflammation, acupuncture is also proven to help with emotional stuff (anxiety, depression, PTSD, addiction), hormone regulation (PMS, ovarian cysts, menopause, fertility), and digestion problems such as IBS, Gerd, constipation, diarrhea, and obesity. With this wide range of a uses, consider acupuncture as a first response to your general health needs before you reach for drugs or surgery.
