Aging Gracefully and with Great Health

How Acupuncture Can Help You Protect Your Body From Stress-Related Health Problems

17 December 2015 by For Content

Everyone experiences stress in life from time to time, but dealing with high stress levels for long periods of time can be dangerous to your health. Stress is not something your body was made to deal with each and every day of life, and not treating your stress could make you sick. Luckily, there are natural treatment options that can help with this, and one of these is acupuncture. 

Why is stress bad for your body?

When you experience stress in your life, it causes your body to release hormones. The primary ones released during stressful times are cortisol and adrenaline. These are designed to protect your body when you feel nervous, afraid, and stressful, but your body is not designed in a way to handle these hormones all the time.

When your brain releases the hormones, they can cause your heartrate to increase and your muscles to tighten. After a while, this can start to affect the way your body feels and functions.

What health problems can stress cause?

Occasional stress is a normal part of life and will not lead to health problems, but dealing with stress all the time can cause the following problems:

• Heart issues – Stress can lead to high blood pressure, which can result in having a stroke or heart attack, and it can also cause you to develop heart disease.
• Gastrointestinal problems – While stress does not cause ulcers, it can make them worse, and it can also cause other types of digestive issues in your body.
• Depression – Too much stress can lead to depression. Living with depression can make you feel miserable, sad, and lonely.

There are numerous health problems other than these you can also develop if you leave stress untreated.

How can acupuncture help reduce your stress level?

Acupuncture is something used to treat dozens of different problems people struggle with, including stress and anxiety. When you visit an acupuncturist, he or she will want to know what problems you have, because this will help him or her know where to insert the needles.

For stress, an acupuncturist will insert small needles in certain meridians, which are located near nerves in your body. When this occurs, it can cause your brain to make and release additional hormones, and these hormones will actually help the stressful feelings go away. Endorphins are one of these hormones, and these are known for acting like natural painkillers.

If you want to protect your body from the harmful effects of long-term stress, you may want to give acupuncture a try. To learn more about this process, contact a clinic (such as Garden of Health acupuncture) that offers acupuncture services.

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