Anxiety is a very common complaint we hear from patients in our clinic. Symptoms include things such as rapid heart rate, a sensation (sometimes heaviness) in the chest, shortness of breath, constant thoughts, difficulty sleeping, avoidance of social situations, difficulty concentrating, and there are others. For many, we live in an anxiety provoking time.
Anxiety can be a normal human emotion. We all experience everyday anxiety related to our lives. This type of “normal” anxiety resolves when the situation resolves. Anxiety becomes a health concern when it interferes with daily life. Here are some examples of everyday anxiety, and also, the more debilitating complaint we can call an anxiety disorder:
| Everyday Anxiety | Anxiety disorder |
| Worry about everyday matters such as finances, job, relationships, health | Constant, unsubstantiated worry that is out of proportion and which interferes with daily life |
| Embarrassment or self-consciousness in unfamiliar or awkward social situations | Inability to deal with and avoidance of social situations for fear of panic |
| Anxiety and nerves before an important event, test, presentation or performance | Anxiety or panic attacks for no apparent reason, or out of proportion to the situation |
| Rational fear and avoidance of danger and potentially dangerous situations | Irrational fear and avoidance of otherwise benign situations, people, places, animals |
| Anxiety, sadness and sleep problems after a traumatic event, but which diminishes with time and processing | Persistent anxiety, panic attacks, nightmares, or flashbacks related to a traumatic event that may have occurred months or years before |
| Paying attention to hygiene, being careful and conscious of your environment and immediate situation | Obsessive compulsion with rituals, cleanliness, washing, checking and rechecking doors and windows |
From the Chinese medicine perspective, anxiety can arise from one or more factors as outlined below:
- Emotional factors:
- Anger, frustration, resentment, especially when repressed, extreme, prolonged or unprocessed
- Grief and sadness are normal responses to loss. When extreme or prolonged or unresolved
- Worry and rumination when excessive or irrational
- Sudden physical or emotional shock
- Inherited constitution includes weakness in any of the major organ systems
- Diet – though not often a primary factor, when restrictive or inadequate can result in susceptibility to anxiety
- Overwork, exhaustion – depletes the organ systems and can result in anxiety. Post-partum anxiety especially when there was a difficult birth, hemorrhage, breast feeding with inadequate rest and or poor diet can also result in anxiety
- Other biomedical causes such as thyroid problems, blood sugar problems, menopause, PMS, PTSD, prolonged stress
- Drugs, withdrawal from or dependence on some pharmaceutical or recreational drugs
- Sedentary work and leisure activities
It is not uncommon for a combination of the above to be in play.
To help you feel better, your Chinese medicine doctor will work with you to evaluate the potential of these factors to result in anxiety for you. We will then devise a treatment plan to help you understand why you are feeling anxious and set in place tactics to rein in anxiety with the goal to limit its effect on your life. We use a combination of acupuncture, lifestyle coaching and Chinese herbal medicine to help you meet your goals.
If you would like, you can make a consultation appointment at no charge, to find out if we can help you.
Take care
Dr. Ann
