How Acupuncture Can Help You Cope with Holiday Stress

We like to think of the holidays as a joyful time, but the truth is that the festive season brings its share of stressors with it each year. Between the pressures of shopping for gifts in crowded malls, preparing elaborate meals for houseguests and navigating travel plans and family gatherings, many of us become understandably exhausted, tense and stressed. Unmanaged stress can elevate your blood pressure and throw other physical functions off as well. Fortunately, you can ease your holiday stress thanks to the acupuncture services we offer at Vitality Health and Wellness.

Acupuncture at Vitality Health and Wellness in Milwaukee

How does the strategic insertion of needles help to reduce your stress levels? Current research indicates that the stimulation of specific points on the body can lower levels of a protein called NPY, or protein neuropeptide Y, in the blood. This protein is associated with the body's "fight or flight" response; it contributes to the blood flow constrictions and other physical changes you experience during a panic or stress attack. Another benefit, which medical science has been aware for some time, is the stimulation of endorphins, the "feel-good" substances naturally produced by the body. Between these two effects, our patients welcome their sessions with our Milwaukee acupuncturist as a means of relieving or controlling acute stress symptoms.

How do we know where to insert the needles? Eastern medicine established the locations of hundreds of points throughout the body known as meridians. Over thousands of years, we have developed a detailed understanding of how different meridians can relieve certain conditions or symptoms. Stress typically responds to stimulation of the Kidney 1, Spleen 4 and 9, Stomach 20 and 40, Heart 3 and other specific meridians.

If you want to feel more relaxed this holiday season, contact our clinic today. Out acupuncturist may have just what you need to sail through the season and enjoy your time with friends and family!

What stresses you out during the holidays?