Mental + Emotional Health

Periods of emotional disturbance can trigger feelings and behaviors from stress, depression, anxiety and panic attacks to major disruptions in sleep and eating. If these patterns become chronic, it can manifest as a wide range of emotional, physical, cognitive and behavioral symptoms.

Acupuncture and Oriental medicine may help alleviate symptoms associated with mental and emotional health issues by treating the root cause of the problem by helping to rebalance the body’s internal environment. Biomedically speaking, emotions are influenced by brain chemicals: hormones or neurotransmitters. Research has shown that acupuncture can help regulate many of these chemicals including serotonin (regulates mood); dopamine (provides a pleasure response); noradrenaline (relaxes the body and mind); melatonin (controls the sleep cycle), and cortisol (helps with managing stress).

Two randomized, controlled, clinical trials suggest that acupuncture may reduce any sign/symptom of depression as effectively as amitryptiline, a tricyclic antidepressant medication. Other studies suggest that acupuncture may be effective for people with mild depression and for those with depression related to a chronic medical illness.