Your body rebels, its internal harmony right out of tune with reality. Organs may begin to malfunction; your memory may fail; you make poor judgements and get short-tempered quickly and easily.  You feel awful, even ‘liverish’ and ‘out of sorts’ and you can’t put your finger on any one thing. Little wonder. There are many types and causes of stress and many possible reasons why you personally may be feeling ‘stressed-out’.

Emotional: The breakdown of a relationship; the loss of a loved one or a pet; shouldering a heavy workload; striving for the expectations others set for you; constantly having to perform in your job, profession or sport. Simply having to pay the bills…

Physical: Taking on extra work. Heavy training sessions.

Hormonal imbalances: Such as ‘PMS’ syndrome.

Low blood sugar: As a result of poor diet or inadequate exercise. Possible stress-related digestive disorders.

Poor immune function: Caused by poor diet and lifestyle. Recurring allergies such as hay fever and food sensitivities. Possibly the result of chronic infection.

The stress response: Our body responds to stress with a set of biochemical reactions called the stress response. At stressful times, the body quickly releases chemicals into the blood. This sets in motion a series of physical changes. These include a faster heartbeat and breathing, higher blood pressure and increased muscle tension. These physical changes give the body added strength, energy and alertness. They prepare the body for dealing with stressful events such as giving a speech, aiding an accident victim, or fighting or fleeing from an attack. For short periods there is no damage, the situation gets back under control and we can relax. However, if the stress becomes chronic or out of proportion, this healthy response can become pathological.

Some of us commonly live in a constant state of stress, continually triggering the stress response and depleting valuable energy. As a result, we start to see some common stress symptoms like headache, back and shoulder ache, skin disorders, gastric problems and sleeping disorders. Psychological symptoms may include depression, anxiety, poor concentration, poor memory and loss of self confidence. There is mounting evidence that chronic stress can lead to long term health problems such as high blood pressure; heart disease; stroke; asthma; skin conditions and even hair loss.

Stress relief: There is no standard formula for stress. To cope with stress and tension in our lives, we often try quick fixes like alcohol, cigarettes, sugar and all sorts of over the counter and prescription drugs. Food is also used to try and cope with stress. Many people eat when they feel anxious, depressed and stressed. There is no magic stress reduction pill, neither do alcohol, sleeping tablets nor anti depressants offer any real solution to reducing stress. Taking anti depressants, although often prescribed to reduce stress, offer at best only limited short-term relief and at worst physiological dependence on a particular drug.

How does Acupuncture help?

For stress related problems, acupuncture works by stimulating the body to heal itself. It has a relaxation response with decreased heart rate, lowered blood pressure, stress reduction and increased energy and tissue regeneration. Acupuncture treatment will balance the harmony in your body, putting everything back in tune and restoring the natural balance of your mental, physical and emotional functions. We will work out your individual treatment depending on the kind of stress you are experiencing, and its effects.

Generally, after a treatment you’ll feel much calmer, more relaxed and aware of the improvement in your sense of well-being. The reason? Your acupuncture treatment will release the ‘happy hormones’, body chemicals known as ‘endorphins’, which give you that ‘great to be back on the road again’ feeling. Acupuncture provides a drug-free alternative to help you manage the stress of modern society. It’s so simple and so effective, and it’s been proven over thousands of years.

Written by Robert Vandevelde    
Wednesday, 25 November 2009

 
(NaturalNews) Of all the available treatments for infertility, acupuncture isn’t one that people usually think of first. But as you’ll see here, it’s actually one of the safest and most effectiveness treatments for infertility known to modern science.

Why does it work so well? Because infertility isn’t usually a physical problem. It’s often an issue related to circulation or energy channels that govern the vitality of your body’s organs (including reproductive organs). Rebalancing those bioelectric channels can create enormous healing changes in the function of your reproductive organs.

And the best part? Acupuncture is non-invasive, surprisingly. The needles themselves are virtually painless and barely enter the skin. That’s a huge contrast to the highly invasive (and embarrassing) probing, inserting, extracting, injecting and poking around typically undertaken by conventional infertility clinics.

If you (or someone you know) suffers from infertility, you owe it to yourself to read the quotes that follow so you can educate yourself about the seemingly miraculous ability of acupuncture to treat (and cure) infertility.

Acupuncture treats infertility
A study found that auricular acupuncture was capable of producing results comparable to those of drug therapy in the treatment of infertility. I. Gerhard and F. Postneek, [Possibilities of Therapy by Ear Acupuncture in Female Sterility], Geburtshilfe Frauenheilke 48, no. 3 (March 1988): 165-71. A study examined the effects of moxibustion and acupuncture on 30 cases of infertility in women ranging from 24 to 37 years of age. Results showed that after just one course of treatment 9 women conceived, with another 8 conceiving after 2 courses of treatment.
- The Woman’s Encyclopedia of Natural Healing by Dr. Gary Null

In China, acupuncture has been used in the treatment of infertility for centuries. The first published account of this is seen in medical literature dating back to 11 A.D. The Chinese look at five principal organs – the liver, spleen, heart, lung, and kidney – and use acupuncture to release blockages from these systems so that energy or chi can move freely. This helps the body return to good health. Promoting fertility is one benefit that can be obtained. Acupuncture to kidney points releases psychological blocks that interfere with reproduction.
- Get Healthy Now with Gary Null: A Complete Guide to Prevention, Treatment and Healthy living by Gary Null

The women treated with acupuncture? Twenty-two pregnancies (and no side effects). Finally, a study at the Fertility Clinic Trianglen in Denmark concluded that “acupuncture … significantly improves the reproductive outcome of IVF (in vitro fertilization) and ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) compared to no acupuncture.” Best of all, acupuncture for infertility is truly a “whole person” treatment that looks at the woman as much more than just a dysfunctional reproductive system. “People come into my office and they’re completely unprepared for conception,” Lawrence told me.
- The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth about What Treatments Work and Why by Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.

In a preliminary trial, women who did not ovulate were treated with acupuncture 30 times over three months. Effectiveness was determined by a combination of measures indicating ovulation was returning to normal. Acupuncture treatment resulted in a marked improvement in 35% and slight improvement in 48% of trial participants. The beneficial results achieved with acupuncture may be due to alterations in the hormonal messages from the brain to the ovary. Auricular (ear) acupuncture has been studied in a preliminary trial and compared with standard hormone therapy for treatment of infertility.