Acupuncture for Mental and Emotional Health

Overview

A common misconception about acupuncture assumes that it is only useful for treating physical

pain. While it can be extremely effective in this regard, Traditional East Asian Medicine (or

TEAM) has historically developed effective treatments for everything from physical injury, to

internal disease, to emotional distress. During its two thousand plus years of evolution, this

medicine has always considered the health of the body, mind, and emotions to be intricately

linked. In fact, the classic Chinese medical texts actually label the emotions as one of the

potential causes of disease. Usually this only occurs when the emotional state is either prolonged

—for months or for years—or of a particularly intense nature, such as in suffering some kind of

traumatic event. One such example of emotional pain turning into physical illness is that TEAM

practitioners have long observed that people who experience prolonged periods of grief, often

develop some form of lung disease. But even everyday stressors can build up in our system and

make us feel all kinds of crazy.

From a TEAM perspective, emotional disorders arise from an imbalance in the flow of one’s

vital energy (or Qi) within the body’s energetic channel system (or meridians). For example, if

one or more of the channels have too much qi contained within them, this could give rise to

feelings of anxiety and stress. Or, if one or more of the channels are lacking in qi flow and

vitality, this could cause feelings of depression and a lack of motivation. This is especially true if

these imbalances do not self-correct and remain in place for long periods of time. While this is an

extremely simplified explanation of the channel dynamics within TEAM, hopefully it gives some

small insight into how acupuncture’s goal of balanced flow can benefit one’s mental and

emotional health.

Western Research

While Western Medicine has difficulty explaining exactly how and why acupuncture works when

treating conditions such as anxiety and depression, there is growing research to support its

effectiveness. In a 2021 meta-analysis of 20 different clinical trials of patients with generalized

anxiety disorder, the researchers found that those receiving acupuncture experienced a

significantly reduction in anxiety symptoms when compared to those in the control group. And

likewise, in a 2019 meta-analysis of 29 clinical trials, researchers reported “clinically significant”

reductions in depressive symptoms in those patients treated with acupuncture when compared to

those receiving conventional treatment alone, and those in the control group receiving sham

treatments.

Modern research has identified several biological mechanisms that at least partially explain why

acupuncture can be helpful for those struggling with mood disorders:

1) Brain imaging studies show that acupuncture triggers the key mood-regulating areas of

the brain (the amygdala, the hypothalamus, and the brainstem) to release more of the body’s

endogenous neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, which help to

uplift mood and reduce pain. This in turn can help to dampen one’s “fear circuits,” helping to

break patterns of anxiety or panic, and to shift the nervous system to a more parasympathetic and

relaxed state.

2) Other studies have shown that acupuncture tends to reduce the activity of the HPA axis

(hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal), which helps to lower levels of the “stress hormone”

cortisol.

3) One of the symptoms often associated with depression is low-grade, systemic

inflammation. There is evidence showing that acupuncture helps to modulate immune signaling

cytokines and the gut-brain axis, both of which can potentially reduce this systemic

inflammation.

Considerations

If you decide you’d like to try acupuncture for help with emotional stability, just know that it’s

not a one and done treatment. Often times people will feel more balanced after their very first

session, but it truly takes consistency in order to achieve long lasting results. One acupuncture

session a week for at least 3 to 4 months is usually what it takes to begin to achieve consistent

change. In some cases your acupuncturist may prescribe herbs and/or self-care practices such as

qigong and meditation to help facilitate transformation.

Also, acupuncture can be a great complimentary treatment to traditional talk therapy. The good

news is that if you are seeing a counselor or therapist, you won’t have to rehash your whole life

story with your acupuncturist. While some understanding of your emotional landscape is

important, you will not have to talk about every little detail of your life. Just a general

understanding of your emotional tendencies and challenges will be enough for an acupuncturist

to get started in helping you achieve greater emotional balance.

One of the most gratifying things I get to witness in our clinic everyday is the transformation of

someone who comes in with the weight of the world on their shoulders, but who leaves with a

greater sense of calm and confidence that progress toward emotional stability is possible, and

that life can be about more than just managing the habitual baggage that we as humans inevitably

carry.