Too often in life, we are asked to be conscious of the world we live in yet remain centered and grounded in our day-to-day activities — a seemingly formidable balancing act.
The stress of day-to-day living can feel insurmountable at times, and the current political turbulence only seems to exacerbate said chaos. These are truly challenging times to feel centered and grounded in.
Our bodies know two basic forms of operation per our autonomic nervous system: fight or flight and rest and digest. The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for escaping predators, and the parasympathetic nervous system for digestion and healing. Because of the constant and unrelenting harsh, discordant mixture of sounds, activity, and pressure that surrounds us in modern life, we are far too likely to remain in the highly aroused fight, flight, or freeze mode. It is difficult for us to achieve the restorative counterweight of proper rest.
The area of centralized control in our brain: the hypothalamic-pituitary complex, is profoundly moved by the energetic movement of acupuncture treatment. Acupuncture points are neighboring locations in the body where nerves are densely expressed, and these signals track to the higher regions of brain function. The area just above the hypothalamic-pituitary complex is the generator of a chemical compound that activates our adrenal glands so we can escape predation or evade a tense situation in the office). Additionally, it produces bliss by secreting feel-good substances called beta-endorphins. It is a distinct curiosity that both “heaven and hell” come from the same precursor molecule (for technically proficient types, the molecule is called pro-opiomelanocortin).
Acupuncture can produce a pretty miraculous feat by balancing our body’s innate energetic intelligence in beautiful ways. An acupuncture point just proximal to our wrists will speed up a slow heart rate, and downshift a rate that is too fast. Another point just below our knee can strengthen a weakened physical body, yet soothe a restless mind. Under our seventh cervical vertebra can raise the energy of our heart and vitality, and also cool a high fever. The meridian system of acupuncture has an uncanny ability to give us exactly what we need at that moment, and therefore receiving regular acupuncture treatments can help the brain reset, calibrate and harmonize the balance of these two states of being: fight, flight or freeze vs. rest and digest. Acupuncture calms the anxious mind. It infuses our bloodstreams with happy chemicals that are not just for feeling wonderful but are also the body’s signal to heal and heal in a deeply restorative way. Anyone experiencing anxiety, depression, or other mental states of discomfort can find tremendous release and uplift from traditional Chinese medicine. Your practitioner can recommend spirit-soothing herbal formulas to complement this serene comfort.
