Over the past six months, we have become very aware of ways that health can affect mortality. A majority of COVID-19 deaths have occurred in those with compromised health, including the elderly. In this series of blogs, we will continue to look at aspects of health, and how we can work together to improve your ability to thrive through the pandemic. Afterall, it does not look like the pandemic is going away any time soon.
Mental and Emotional Health
When we think about being healthy, often the emphasis is on health of the physical body: organs, glands, muscles, bones etc. But we are holistic beings and the physical as well as mental emotional aspects of ourselves are equally important. Did you ever get some really bad news and feel a reaction in the pit of your stomach? This is an example of your emotions affecting your physical body.
Lately almost every patient who walks in our door complains of some sort of stress or anxiety. They report things such as difficulty sleeping, difficulty taking a full breath, heaviness or palpitations in the heart, difficulty focusing, poor memory, short temper, ruminating about the future, changes in appetite, fear, worry, loneliness, the list goes on.
The problem is that stress and anxiety interfere with daily life but also affect three major systems of the body the digestive, reproductive and immune systems. These three systems are all downregulated because of stress. This means that the body automatically diverts nervous system function and blood flow away from these systems. It’s kind of like pulling the plug and removing the power from these important bodily functions. On the other hand, when stressed there are two systems that are upregulated, they are the cardiovascular (think high blood pressure for example) and muscular skeletal (think tense and tight muscles causing pain).
So, when you are feeling stressed and anxious, Acupuncture is the perfect remedy. You will feel calmer and more relaxed, which will restore function to your digestive, reproductive and immune systems and avoid over taxing the cardiovascular and muscular skeletal systems. All of these are essential to health.
We look forward to seeing you
Dr’s Ann & Emil
