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Acupuncture and Festive Stress

Tis the season not to get stressed



*One in five Britons suffers from stress during the festive season.  Tiredness, lack of exercise, an overload of people, alcohol, food, spending and over-excited children can all contribute to increasing levels of stress.

Beverly Dickins, acupuncturist and British Acupuncture Council member explains that the pressures at this time of year can have a very real impact on our well-being.

"From shopper's backache and Christmas dinner panic to December dehydration and over-spending insomnia, the festive season is a stressful time for many of us," she said.

"The most common symptom of stress is a breakdown in your immune system, leaving you susceptible to colds and illness. Eating fattening foods, taking less exercise and stressful situations between family members can really take their toll on your health."

"Holistic therapies such as acupuncture can help you cope with these demands and enable you to stay on top of things."

Stress, anger, or any intense emotion acts like a traffic jam, blocking the free flow of energy in the body.  One of the many symptoms people who are very stressed experience is upper back, shoulder and neck pain.  This is because stress causes the 'snarling up' of the energy passing through channels in these areas causing pain, tension and stiffness - often resulting in headaches as well.

Through acupuncture, these energy blockages can be addressed. Acupuncture can help energy flow smoothly, and alleviate not only the symptoms of stress and anxiety, but the underlying stress and anxiety itself.

In addition, acupuncture improves circulation of blood throughout the body. The calming nature of acupuncture also helps decrease heart rate, lowers blood pressure and relaxes the muscles.

Beverley said as the winter days become shorter and colder and with most of us trying to cram in last minute work, many people will start to feel tired and rundown as the festive season approaches.

"In over 25 years of practice I have been continually impressed at the breadth and power of acupuncture as it has something for everyone and can really help in situations like this," she said.

"Acupuncture can assist with the following symptoms:

  • Feeling unwell and tired  - acupuncture can elevate your mood and return good energy levels to your body
  • Feeling stressed - acupuncture can calm you down and you can learn how to stimulate acupressure points to assist with ongoing anxiety
  • Hangovers and eating to excess- acupuncture's capacity to detox the organs can help restore wellbeing after diet and alcohol excess."


For more information and to locate your nearest acupuncture practitioner, call 020 8735 0400 or visit www.acupuncture.org.uk



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Notes to editors:

BAcC practitioners are available for interview, expert comment and case histories.



For further press information contact Paul Joseph or Gemma Irvine at Mandate Communications on 0203 128 8131 /8100 or email; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it / This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it



About the BAcC:

The British Acupuncture Council (BAcC) has a membership of over 2,800 professionally qualified acupuncturists.  It is the UK's largest professional body for the practice of acupuncture.



BAcC members practise a traditional, holistic style of acupuncture diagnosis and treatment based on a system developed and refined over 2,000 years.  To achieve BAcC membership, practitioners must first undertake extensive training in traditional acupuncture (minimum three years full-time or part-time equivalent), which includes physiology, anatomy and other biomedical sciences appropriate to the practice of acupuncture.



What is traditional acupuncture?

Traditional acupuncture is an Oriental therapy that aims to improve the overall wellbeing of the patient, rather than treating specific symptoms in isolation.  Traditional Chinese philosophy states that our health is dependent on the body's motivating energy - known as Qi - moving in a smooth and balanced way through a series of meridians (channels) beneath the skin.

For any number of reasons the flow of Qi can be disturbed leading to ill-health. By inserting fine needles into the channels of energy or Qi, an acupuncturist can stimulate the body's own healing response and help restore its natural balance.





December 2008