Chronic stress has a number of damaging effects in the body. Acupuncture has been shown to treat chronic stress and promote relaxation by:

  • Influencing the autonomic nervous system (ANS)

  • Regulating heart rate variability

  • Increasing parasympathetic tone.

When it comes to anxiety and emotional distress, acupuncture can perform better and with minimal side effects compared to pharmacological therapies.

Hamvas S, Hegyi P, Kiss S, Lohner S, McQueen D, Havasi M (2023) Acupuncture increases parasympathetic tone, modulating HRV - systematic review and meta-analysis. Complement Ther Med 72:102905. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2022.102905

Li M, Liu X, Ye X, Zhuang L. Efficacy of acupuncture for generalized anxiety disorder: A PRISMA-compliant systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine (Baltimore). 2022 Dec 9;101(49):e30076. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000030076. PMID: 36626458; PMCID: PMC9750622.

Wang L, Xian J, Sun M, Wang X, Zang X, Zhang X, Yu H, Tan QW. Acupuncture for emotional symptoms in patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2022 Jan 27;17(1):e0263166. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0263166. PMID: 35085351; PMCID: PMC8794137.