Physical Pain & Mental Stress: Acupuncture in Midtown Can Help
At Enhanced Lifestyle Acupuncture, we focus in treating stress-related conditions by working with your body’s natural healing systems.

Stress and anxiety are normal emotional responses that we all experience. This is how our body naturally responds to a challenging situation. However, prolonged stress and anxiety can evolve into physical pain and discomfort, hence the mind-body connection. Mental and physical health are linked. People with a long-term physical health condition such as chronic pain are much more likely to also experience mood disorders. Conversely, people with a mood disorder are at much higher risk of developing a long-term medical condition. A 2021 survey run by Statistics Canada found that nearly one quarter of Canadians reported experiencing high levels of stress, meaning they found most days quite a bit or extremely stressful. This is significantly higher than in years prior (the pandemic certainly being a contributing factor), and is unlikely to change in the near future do to ongoing concerns.

 In many professions, the prevalence of burnout as a possible consequence of chronic stress is increasing. In light of a highly stressed and unbalanced working society the importance of short and effective treatment to reduce stress is undeniable.

Stress is typically caused by an external trigger such as a work deadline, financial struggles or an illness in the family, whereas anxiety is excessive, persistent worry which manifests without a specific trigger. Both can lead to symptoms such as insomnia, mood dysregulation, digestive issues, headaches and neck and back pain/ chronic pains.  

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This isn’t a quick fix. It’s real healing.

Acupuncture is most commonly used to treat pain. Increasingly, it is being used for overall wellness, including stress management.

Traditional Chinese medicine explains acupuncture as a technique for balancing the flow of energy or life force — known as chi or qi (chee) — believed to flow through pathways (meridians) in your body. By inserting needles into specific points along these meridians, acupuncture practitioners believe that your energy flow will re-balance.

From a TCM perspective, chronic stress can create internal congestion/blockages and have a direct impact on our mental, physical and emotional wellbeing. The emotion can result in a specific location of pain which depends on what you are feeling.

A treatment plan can vary in length depending on how long the person has been unwell, but most patients see improvements after 6-8 treatments. An acupuncturist is also able to provide gentle lifestyle counseling which may include stress management tips, TCM eastern nutritional guidelines and calm, slow physical movements to your daily lifestyle.  

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References

https://www.camh.ca/en/driving-change/the-crisis-is-real/mental-health-statistics

https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/acupuncture/about/pac-20392763

https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/anxiety-difference​

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/210924/dq210924a-eng.htm

Acupuncture in persons with an increased stress level—Results from a randomized-controlled pilot trial - PMC

 

​​Through gentle, targeted acupuncture, we help:

• Regulate your nervous system

• Lower cortisol and stress hormone levels

• Improve sleep quality

• Release physical tension held in the body

• Promote a deep sense of calm and clarity

You’ll leave your sessions feeling lighter, more grounded and ready to handle​

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Enhanced Lifestyle Acupuncture provides new therapies of adding in Vegas Nerve Stim combined with acupuncture points for deeper sense of relaxation and mental stress.?

• Focus practice in stress and anxiety relief

• Variety of treatment options with Dolphin Vegus Nerve (calms sympathetic nervous system) added in simultaneously 

• Address the root cause of the stress and physical pain 

• Option for pain free, needle-free treatments but still benefit from TCM to help manage stress and anxiety

• Whole-person focus — mind, body, and lifestyle​​​​​