During the month of April, like so many healthcare professionals, I am championing stress awareness.
Since 1992, April is ‘Stress Awareness Month’. Its primary aim is to raise public awareness about the condition and how is affects so many of us.
Stress is more common than you might think!
Shocking though it may seem, according to the mental health foundation, over 74% of UK adults have felt so stressed at some point during the last year that they felt unable to cope.
This overwhelming feeling is ultimately damaging our health. Sadly, stress still isn’t being taken as seriously as a physical condition is. Yet it is currently amongst the greatest of our public health challenges.
With a background in psychiatric nursing, I know all too well about the effects that stress can have on people’s mental health. Stress is a significant factor in mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. However, its less well known effects include physical health problems such as heart disease, insomnia, digestive problems and our immune systems.
Alternative treatments to consider?
Just after the millennium, I discovered eastern medicine and practices and I decided to train as an acupuncturist. I now practice under the Acupuncture Foundation Professional Association (AFPA).
In the western healthcare industry, it’s commonplace to prescribe antidepressants for stress, anxiety and depression. I have witnessed first hand the fantastic benefits that alternative therapies, such as acupuncture can have on a persons’ well-being.
Acupuncture works by stimulating the body’s natural healing abilities, by increasing energy flow and improving biochemical balance. A wide range of conditions including pain, fertility issues and indeed anxiety can all benefit from acupuncture.
Whilst western medicine focuses on treating symptoms, acupuncture and other eastern practices focus on the root cause of the illness to ultimately resolve the condition.
So, if you are experiencing the effects from stress, anxiety or depression, and would like to discuss the benefits of acupuncture, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can be assured that your enquiry will be treated with the strictest of confidence.
