Stress, Tiredness and Fatigue

Stress

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine the organ mostly affected by emotional stress is the liver. The primary function of the liver is to ensure the free-flow of qi throughout the body. As stress tends to impede energy flow, the effect on the liver in this condition becomes evident. As a result problems involving liver function can therefore affect gallbladder function and as the gallbladder energy meridian runs across the shoulders, up the neck and over the sides of the head, this explains why sufferers of stress often complain of headache and stiffness in the neck and shoulders. Their energy is not flowing freely causing blockage and pain.

Acupuncture helps to move energy and blood and relieve stress. It releases endorphins and serotonins within the brain and has a deep relaxing effect on the body, many people fall asleep while the needles are in. It has been found that acupuncture decreases the sympathetic nerve activity during mental stress, lowering blood pressure and heart rate. Many people feel more energetic after as little as one treatment and have a marked improvement after 6-10.

Tiredness, Fatigue

Tiredness or fatigue affects all of us from time to time but in the normal run of events it will pass after some relaxation or a good nights sleep. Persistent tiredness however can become a chronic  problem which can seriously affect the quality of life. At any given time, one in 10 people suffer with persistent tiredness.
Chronic tiredness or chronic fatigue is a symptom of many different disorders, both psychological and physical. It is often difficult to discover its cause with modern Western diagnostic methods. Fortunately, diagnosing and treating this sort of generalized complaint is one of the strong points of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The first and most important step is to eliminate the possible causes of fatigue, such as lack of sleep, poor diet, insufficient exercise, or overworking. Without correcting these problems, it is difficult or impossible to restore the patient's energy level. Once the proper lifestyle adjustments are made, acupuncture treatment, moxibustion and herbal therapy are much more likely to be effective.