Acupuncture; a natural treatment for PTSD

Lest we forget...
Lest we forget what all of our soldiers have endured to give us the freedom we enjoy today.

With Remembrance Day approaching, it is important to remember that peace and liberty do not come without a price. Often it is our heroes that are left paying that price in the form of physical and mental injuries brought on from battle. One such debilitating disorder is; Post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a severe, long lasting psychological reaction to trauma which can result in anxiety, insomnia, and anger management issues; that lead to an inability to function and preform daily tasks. This is often caused from; a severe traumatic event, forced aggression/assault, a violent accident, or military combat.

With PTSD, there is a variety of treatment options. Usually anti-psychotic meds or anti-depressants are prescribed which have lasting side-effects and can result in addiction. Talk therapy is also utilized but forces the victim to relive the traumatic event.
Acupuncture is another viable treatment option that can be used alone or in conjunction with talk therapy and medication. It doesn't have side-effects and is cost-effective.

In general, acupuncture is believed to stimulate the nervous system and cause the release of neuro-chemicals. The resulting biochemical changes influence the body's homeostatic mechanisms, thus promoting physical and emotional well-being.

Research has shown that acupuncture treatment may specifically benefit anxiety disorders and symptoms of anxiety and stress by:

• Acting on areas of the brain known to reduce sensitivity to pain and stress, as well as promoting relaxation and deactivating the ‘analytical’ brain, which is responsible for anxiety and worry (Hui 2010);
• Regulating levels of neurotransmitters (or their modulators) and hormones such as serotonin, noradrenaline, dopamine, GABA, neuropeptide Y and ACTH; hence altering the brain’s mood chemistry to help to combat negative affective states (Lee 2009; Zhou 2008);
• Stimulating production of endogenous opioids that affect the autonomic nervous system (Arranz 2007). Stress activates the sympathetic nervous system, while acupuncture can activate the opposing parasympathetic nervous system, which initiates the relaxation response;
• Reversing pathological changes in levels of inflammatory cytokines that are associated with stress reactions (Arranz 2007);

Ask your Registered Acupuncturist for more details.