Acupuncture for Stress -- An Effective Treatment

West Village Acupuncture
4 Milligan Place
Suite 1F
New York, N.Y. 10011
6th Ave btwn 10th & 11th
917.968.2854

Stress is one of the most frequently cited medical complaints and medical science has come to understand that stress is one of the leading causes of a wide range of medical conditions. It is implicated as a causative factor in depression, fibromyalgia, headaches, many gastro-intestinal conditions, nervous system disorders and cardiac conditions.

The US Military has recently begun treating extreme stress conditions (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, "PTSD") with acupuncture and other alternative approaches. A 2007 study conducted at the University of Louisville in Kentucky, reached the preliminary conclusion that acupuncture was more effective than conventional Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in treating PTSD. Michael Hollifield, Nityamo Sinclair-Lian, Teddy D. Warner, and Richard Hammerschlag, "Acupuncture for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial." The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, June 2007.

The study involved 73 PTSD patients, some of whom where combat veterans. Subsequently, the US military has begun using acupuncture as a method for treating PTSD in returning combat soldiers. Currently, the Fort Hood Carl R. Darnell Army Medical Center offers a variety of alternative treatments, including acupuncture, at its Warrior Combat Stress Reset Program. www.crdamc.amedd.army.mil/default.asp?page=randrreset, visited on 7/15/10.

Acupuncture for stress has also been associated with the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder, another form of stress. A 2000 study involving 43 patients diagnosed with depression and generalized anxiety, found that a 10 session course of treatment resulted in statistically significant clinical improvement of depression symptoms and a significantly higher response rate (60.7% vs 21.4%) in improvement of anxiety symptoms. Eich H, Agelink MW, Lehmann E, et al. Acupuncture in patients with minor depression or generalized anxiety disorder results of randomized study. Fortschr Neurol Psychiatr. 2000;68:137-144; as summarized in Psychiatric Times. Vol. 26 No. 6 May 12, 2009.

For further information regarding acupuncture in the treatment of stress, or if you have other questions regarding acupuncture or Chinese Medical, please search this site for relevant information.

To make an appointment, call Elizabeth @ 917.968.2854.

West Village Acupuncture
4 Milligan Place
Suite 1F
New York, N.Y. 10011
6th Ave btwn 10th & 11th
917.968.2854

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