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submissions to | Home > Newsletters > May 2006 > Acupuncture, Tai Chi and Stress Management |
Acupuncture, Tai Chi and Stress Management |
By Bill Reddy, L.Ac., Dipl.Ac. Since
the early 1970’s when the bamboo curtain was lifted, a few jewels of
Chinese culture began to trickle into the west. One specific example of
China’s best-kept secrets is their use of acupuncture and tai chi to
combat stress. Stress can be defined as “What you feel when life’s
demands exceed your ability to meet those demands.” A vast majority
of people living in and around the beltway can identify with the feeling
of being overwhelmed. Job, school, family and social engagements are all
competing for their place on the schedule. Even though most people have
little control over the stressors in their lives, they can actively
change how they respond to them. Signs and symptoms of stress can
include, but are not limited to, tension headaches, sleep disturbances,
hair loss, fatigue, hypertension, palpitation, cold hands and feet, and
immune system suppression. The Chinese see the physical manifestation of
stress as a stagnation or blockage of internal energy, Qi (pronounced “chee”).
Both acupuncture and tai chi are ways to release blockages and allow the
free flow of this energy.
Scientists are still trying to understand
fully the mechanisms of acupuncture, the millennia-old method of
inserting fine hair-like needles into the body to promote health and
well-being. According to a Yale Medical School study involving
fifty-five healthy volunteers, acupuncture was shown to significantly
reduce stress, as measured by blood pressure, state anxiety, heart rate,
and electrodermal activity. Additionally, in a double blind,
placebo-controlled study published in 1998, researchers demonstrated
that acupuncture was 85.7% effective at treating patients with
Generalized Anxiety Disorder with no negative side effects. |
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