Understanding that you need to do something to de-stress is the easy part.  Taking steps to deal with the stressful situations in your life is much harder.  The way I see it, you have two choices.  The first is to deal directly with what’s causing your stress; quit your miserable job, learn to say no, prioritize, or stop taking on extra (stressful!) projects.  This is easier said than done—clearly there are situations in your life that you can’t change or control.

So, your second choice in dealing with the stress is to take a little time to add some calm into your life.  That’s right, meditate!  It may sound exotic, but the reality is that anything you do to calm that wild stream of thoughts running through your mind (the Chinese call it Monkey Mind) is a kind of meditation.

If you have never meditated, let me clear up a couple of myths right away.  First, you don’t need to don flowing robes and sit cross legged on a hard floor to meditate—it can be done almost anywhere, and you can wear what you want.  Second, you can get the beneficial effects from meditation in as little as three minutes.  Researchers have found that the relaxation response (the opposite of fight or flight) kicks in after just a few minutes of meditation. And third, there’s really no wrong way to meditate—you don’t need any secret words or funky positions. 

Here are a few meditative exercises to get you started.  Remember, whatever you do is good—there’s no such thing as bad meditating.

• Mind clearing.  Get comfortable sitting or lying down.  Take a deep breath or two and then breathe comfortably, focusing on each breath.  With each inhalation repeat a word or sound of your choosing.  I like “calm”, but you can use “one”, “Om”, or whatever you like.  You can even choose a two syllable word like “relax” and inhale to the first syllable, “re”, and exhale to the second syllable, “lax”.  As you focus on your word or sound, your racing thoughts will recede.  If thoughts come into your mind, just let them pass on through and out.  Continue for at least three minutes, obviously longer is more relaxing.
   
• Your happy place.  We’ve all heard the jokes about going to your happy place. The reality is that when you visualize yourself in a calm and beautiful place, your brain acts the same way and releases the same chemicals as if you were actually in a calm and beautiful place. So get comfortable, close your eyes and picture yourself in a wonderful place.  What do you see? Fill in the visual details of your chosen place, even what’s behind you.  What do you feel?  Is there sand in between your toes or a cool breeze blowing across your body?  What are the particular smells of this place? What do you hear? Silence?  Beautiful music?  Birds singing?  Fill in as many details as you can, and spend ten or 15 minutes visiting this place in your mind.  Your brain won’t know that you’re stuck at the office.
• Progressive relaxation.  This one involves tightening, then releasing groups of muscles from head to toe.  Begin by getting comfortable—lying down is a little better for this particular technique.  Begin with the muscles in your scalp and forehead.  Tighten them for a second or two, and then relax.  Move on to the muscles in your entire face; tighten, then relax.  From there, tighten and relax your neck muscles.  Continue working your way down your body, tightening and relaxing all your muscles.  When you have finished with your toes, picture (and feel) your entire body so relaxed that you’re melting.  Give yourself as much time as you like in this relaxed state, then slowly come back—you’ll feel both calmer and refreshed. 
• Use your breath.  Mindful breathing is an easy and quick way to lower stress. Sit or lie down and spend a few minutes breathing slowly.  Pay attention to each inhalation and exhalation.  Also pay attention to the spot that rises and falls with each breath.  If you’re taking short, shallow breaths from your upper chest, slow it down and try to breathe from your belly.
• Get moving.  While physical activity isn’t exactly meditation, it is a great way to let off a little steam and decompress after (or before) a stressful day.  It may feel good to smack a tennis ball or a golf ball, but you don’t have to kill the world.  A walk after dinner can do the trick, too.  I know this may feel like one more thing you have to do, but even ten to twenty minutes of moving your body will also move some stress.  Be sure to pick an activity that is fun or at least enjoyable.

Obesity in today’s youth can’t solely be attributed to overeating and lack of exercise.  It’s important to understand that excessive weight gain can be influenced by heredity and family behavior.  Even as early as in Psych 101, we have learned that overeating can be a behavioral problem.

In a reputable piece published by Medical News Today, doctors from the University of Adelaide linked obesity directly to  depression. Specifically, author Dr. Evan Atlantis states “Although the topic is largely unexplored, several psychosocial, lifestyle and physiological factors may be involved in the complex inter-relationship between obesity and mental illness…” Subsequent feelings of low self esteem, low self worth, and guilt often contribute greatly to a person’s every day eating habits. Dr. Atlantis continues,  “Obesity may constitute a chronic stressful state, which in turn can cause significant physiological dysfunction. Such dysfunction would then predispose individuals to depressed mood and associated symptoms.” Ultimately, this dysfunction would activate the endocannabinoid system, which in turn, increases appetite and may altogether alleviate depression.

Some of the most comment causes of obesity in the world today are:

•Diet
•Lifestyle
•Metabolism
•Genetics/Heredity
•Emotions
•Lack of Sleep
•Medications
•Diseases

The domino affect allows many people to dig themselves into holes; leading to weight gain and depression. It’s not an easy task to eliminate excessive fat due to depressive symptoms.  Subsequently, a person may find him/herself having to overcome depression AND lose weight.
As challenging a task as this may sound, people still have options.  This condition that already produces several health problems that cause many to seek help via weight-loss procedures from centers like MetropolitanMD (a Chicago liposuction and cosmetic surgery center that employs some of the best plastic surgeons Chicago has to offer).

However, before consulting with a surgeon, individuals should look to natural weight loss practices, such as exercise and diet. Instinctively enough, those who suffer from depressive systems tend to be inactive, which in turn leads to weight problems. It’s important to remember to stay as active as possible, which includes more than simply going for a run four days a week.  Connecting with friends, family, and coworkers is great way to avoid depression, which is related to lifestyle, but can directly affect one’s mood.

Mood swings are common for those suffering with depression and can be caused by a lack of communication and poor relationships with others. Perhaps the easiest way to stay healthy is to surround yourself with healthy people, creating a much healthier environment to live in. Behavioral traits have a tendency to spread like wildfire within a group, so it’s  important to remove yourself from an unhealthy situation. It’s equally important to pay close attention to any type of medication that you may be on as side affects could potentially lead to disease, lack of sleep or a sudden change in diet. Moreover, this could all lead to an increase in weight.

Emotional stability is important in any person’s life, and will directly affect their lifestyle. Combined with the above contributing factors, emotional dysfunction has the potential to be a lethal underlying cause for obesity. It’s quite easy to notice the correlation amongst the causes/symptoms of depression and obesity. The best way to avoid this growing epidemic is to take preventative action. Remember to stay healthy and help promote healthy habits by influencing others around you to do the same.

Memory loss can the result of a number of factors, the most common of which is your age.  However, hormonal changes, diet, stress, and simply trying to do too many things at once can also mess with your memory.

There are a couple of organ systems in Chinese medicine that are related to memory.  The first (that I can remember) is the Heart.  The Chinese Heart is home to your consciousness, spirit, feelings, thoughts, and…yes, your memory.  Memory loss is one of the hallmark signs of a Heart disharmony.

Your Chinese Spleen is the organ closely related to digestion.  Good digestion helps something called clear Yang to rise upward allowing for mental clarity.  When your digestion is funky, you may experience fuzzy thinking and memory problems, along with digestive symptoms, such as heartburn, stomachaches, low blood sugar, gas, bloating, poor absorption of foods, and diarrhea or constipation.

The Kidney system is also a player in memory.  One of the important functions of your Chinese Kidney system is how well and healthfully you will age.  As you get older, your Kidney gets weaker as a matter of course, affecting everything from your hearing to the strength of your bones, and your mental function/memory.  Along with aging, your Kidney also controls things like growth, sexuality, and reproduction.  When women go through menopause, their Kidney system is affected, which is why memory seems to take an additional hit during this time.

So the question is:  Can Chinese medicine and acupuncture help with memory loss?  There is no simple yes or no, depending on the source of the problem.  However, in many instances, Chinese medicine can help.  For some patients I’ve seen in the clinic, memory problems are directly related to the amount of stress they’re experiencing, and in others, the memory issues began as part of menopause.  For older patients who are beginning to show the signs of senile dementia, it may be too late to reverse their memory loss.

According to Chinese medicine, there are some things that you can do to safeguard your memory.  This includes:

 -Simplify your life.  If you’re feeling overwhelmed, your brain is full.  At a certain point, you just can’t hold onto any more details, so you start to forget them.

-Jettison the stress.  Stressful situations cause you to be preoccupied, making it difficult for you to remember anything except details about what’s stressing you out.  Do whatever it takes, whether it’s steps to resolve the stressful situation, or a Yoga class, meditation, taking up a hobby, or carving out quiet time to yourself.

-Eat good food.  It sounds simple, but it’s not always so easy when you’re running from meeting to meeting or getting your kids from one activity to another.  Sometimes the only solution seems to be something quick—and not so good for you.  Take the time to plan what you’ll eat, and bring it with you if necessary.  Good food is whole food, unprocessed, whole grains, lots of vegetables, and a little protein, with very small amounts of red meat, if any.  Ditch the sugar, as it messes with your blood sugar levels and can be a direct contributor to fuzzy thinking.  Remember the Twinkie defense?

-Digest that good food you’ve eaten.  Take the time to sit down and eat.  Chew your food and sit up straight.  In addition, cooked foods tend to be easier to digest, and ice cold foods and drinks bring your digestion to a halt.

-Protect your Chinese Kidney.  How?  Well, slow down, for one.  Overwork can be a direct cause of illness and depletion in Chinese medicine.  Also, excessive partying, while fun, weakens your Kidney system and sends you into your senior years in less than optimal health.

In addition to Chinese medicine, Western doctors and scientists are looking for ways to protect memory as we age.  They have been conducting research on memory and the various factors that may help slow memory loss.  Among them:

-Get moving.  Data from a study that began in the 1930’s shows that moderate exercise (as little as two times a week!) can lower your chances of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

-If you’re a smoker, quit now.  While you can’t completely undo the damage in terms of degeneration to your brain, the sooner you quit the better.

-Drink green tea.  Results from a 2006 study indicate that as little as a cup or two a day of green tea, which is packed full of antioxidants, can cut your risk of cognitive problems by 50 percent.

-Make lists.  Memory lapses can be the by-product of simply trying to do too many things at once.  At a certain point, your brain just can’t hold any more details.  Make lists of the things you want to do or remember to get rid of some of that brain clutter.

-Play mind games.  Crossword puzzles, soduku, trivia quizzes, or even learning a new skill or language can keep your brain exercised and can slow memory loss.

The good news here is that small changes can be enough to yield big results as long as you keep them up.  A few cups of green tea, acupuncture to relieve stress, a couple of days a week of exercise, and moderate changes in your diet can be enough to lower your risk of age related memory problems.

In the past month or so, I’ve had some insight into those poor overwhelmed souls.  You see, the last four or five weeks have not been kind to me.  It was a time of things breaking.  Lots of things, like washing machines that won’t agitate, crashing computers, leaky roofs, and auto accidents, plural  (everyone’s fine, thank you).  I thought I was sailing right through this mechanical revolt, but interestingly I was having some odd physical symptoms during that same time. 

First of all, my teeth hurt. One in particular was zinging me every time I drank something even a little bit cool.  At the time I chalked it up to some dental work I had about six months ago, and thought that things should have calmed down by now. Additionally, I was having this funky pain under my ribs that was actually making it hard for me to sleep.  What’s going on?

Looking back with 20/20 hindsight, I realize that I was far more stressed out about all this stuff breaking than I had let on to myself.  The upside to this past month, is that the stress is now gone, and so are my weird symptoms.  The other upside is the idea for this post, which is a roundup of unrecognized physical symptoms caused by stress, mostly through the lens of Chinese medicine. So, here goes:

-Achy teeth.  As soon as my life calmed down, my teeth stopped hurting.  I realized that I was clenching my teeth to the point that they hurt.  Tooth clenching can also manifest as a sore jaw, TMJ problems, a stiff neck, sensitive teeth, or in extreme cases, cracked or broken teeth.

-A sensation of heat.  In Chinese medicine, extreme stress creates energetic stagnation, much like your car seizing up.  If you’ve every witnessed a car seizing up, (I have), you’ll know that there’s some heat involved with the lack of movement.  Many women don’t recognize this heat as stress, because it can feel just like hot flashes.  However, I’ve treated stressed out men who were having what felt like hot flashes, too, and I know it wasn’t menopause.

-Feeling irritable?  In Chinese medicine, irritability is a kind of heat.  Heat speeds things up, and when you feel like the rest of the world is not moving fast enough to suit you, or not responding to your every need, it’s usually the heat talking.

-A bitter taste in your mouth.  This also happened to me last month, and was actually the tip off that I was plenty stressed by all the dead machinery.  At first, I thought maybe I getting a cold, but in fact, that bitter taste is another spin off of the stagnant heat I was experiencing.  The taste in my mouth was almost like I ate something burnt.

-Rib-side pain.  This was no puzzle for me.  The Chinese Liver is the organ system that governs the smooth flow of everything in your body.  Good health is all about flow, and clearly things in my life were not flowing.  Why the rib pain?  Well, the Liver pathway ends right up under your ribs—exactly where I was feeling that funky pain.

-Serious menstrual cramps and/or PMS.  As a general rule in my clinical practice, the worse the stress, the more “eventful” a woman’s menstrual period.  This may include irritability, cramping, or homicidal feelings.  Remember, it’s all about flow; when one thing isn’t flowing (emotions and stress) not much else flows well, either.

-Loss of appetite.  Again, this is about flow, but in this case, it’s digestive flow.  Any new, unwelcome changes in your digestion, especially a loss in your appetite can be a sign that you’re more stressed than you realize.

-Sleep disruptions and weird dreams.  Your body recharges itself while you sleep.  However, if you’re consciously or subconsciously rehashing some event, situation, or problem, your sleep is going to suffer.

The end of my story is this:  Once I got things repaired, replaced, and the snow off the leaky roof, my life returned to normal, except the bitter taste in my mouth and the rib pain. After the “aha” moment that I was suffering from stress and lack of flow, I had an acupuncture treatment.   After the treatment, the rib pain went away immediately, and the weird taste about a day later.  Back to normal.

Chinese medicine is all about flow, whether it’s the flow of digestion, blood, energy, or emotions.  When that flow is blocked for one reason or another, symptoms arise.  We practitioners of Chinese medicine consider that lack of flow a kind of stagnation, much like a dam on a moving river.  Behind the dam, water backs up and creates a lake.  However, down river, there’s only a trickle of water getting past the dam.  In your body, stagnation works in much the same way, in which a blockage creates a backup, but can ultimately create depletion.

In Chinese medicine, depression is caused by emotions gone wild, including anger, grief, excessive worry, frustration, or anxiety.  It’s important to note that some people have depression caused by chemical imbalances, traumatic life events, and even medications they’re taking.  However, I have found that people I have treated who suffer from depression experience a large difference between the way they would like their life to be and the way that their life actually is.  These strong emotions ultimately affect the physical body and can cause symptoms such as poor digestion, insomnia, a lump in the throat, a sensation of heat, aches and pains, and fatigue.

Early on, depression is usually characterized by stagnation.  This means that your blockage of emotional energy is strongest during this time and most likely to cause symptoms associated with stagnation.  Symptoms include feeling despondent, frequent sighing, feeling full, pain under your ribs, and chest pain.  If there is some heat involved, you may also experience irritability, impatience, a dry mouth, thirst, a bitter taste in your mouth, and constipation. 

Sometimes the blockage feels like a lump or something stuck in your throat.  The Chinese call this Plum Pit Qi and believe that it is the physical manifestation of a situation that is figuratively too difficult to swallow. 

Over time, if your depression is unresolved, it will begin to act like the trickle of water below the dam, in that you may cry easily, experience a lack of energy or motivation, poor appetite, restlessness and constant worry.  At this point, your depression is zapping your energy.

Treating depression in Chinese medicine can be very effective and involves the use of acupuncture to calm your spirit and to unblock energetic and emotional stagnation.  The use of Chinese herbs is extremely helpful for depression, and there are several formulas that can be used based on your particular symptoms. 

There are also some things that you can do at home to help relieve depression, including:

-Stay flexible, both literally and figuratively.  Some gentle stretching feels good and is relaxing.  Emotional flexibility is also crucial to overcoming depression.  Making friends with your life as it is or making changes to improve your personal situation will help your mental outlook.  Also, flexibility in terms of an open mind will arm you through future upsets or disappointments.

-Get moving.  Again, this is both literal and figurative.  Movement, in the form of physical activity, will help improve your mood through the production of endorphins, the feel-good chemicals in your brain. Research studies are clear on this: physical activity is an effective way to relieve depression—in some cases as effective as medications.  Emotional movement in terms of trying something new or a new solution is also a way to rise above your depression.

-Get enough sleep.  While insomnia may be a component of depression, do everything you can to get a good night’s sleep.  Lack of sleep will only make you feel worse.

-Eat well.  Healthy foods that you can easily digest will help combat lethargy and fatigue.  Eat a good breakfast to maintain your energy; and eat lost of well-cooked vegetables, fruits, whole grains and a little protein at each meal.

-Keep a gratitude journal.  Research has shown that just writing down a couple of things each day for which you are thankful can in some instances be as effective as antidepressant medications.  Remembering those positive things and people in your life helps you will shift your thinking from your glass being half empty to being half full.

If you suffer from anxiety or panic attacks, you’re familiar with the symptoms—a racing heart or heart palpitations, chest tightness, numbness and tingling in your hands and feet, feeling light headed, shortness of breath, and the general feeling of fear, or that you might die right now. 

There are a number of causes of anxiety.  Traumatic events top the list.  People who have been exposed to trauma, violence, emotional duress, or threats of any kind know the source of their anxiety. This includes unrelenting stress and worry over a life event or situation that’s not easily resolved. 

Unfortunately, many people experience anxiety symptoms and don’t know why, which only makes the anxiety worse.  These are the people who think they’re going crazy because they seemingly have no reason to feel anxious.  However, it’s important to know that anxiety can be caused by physical problems, such as hormonal imbalances, digestive issues, heart problems, and drug side effects.

Anxiety can run in families.  I have found that many of my patients who suffer from anxiety have either a parent or a child who also struggles with anxiety, too.  This may be due to genetic makeup or how a particular family copes with stressful life events. Whether anxiety in families is due to nature or nurture, it’s not uncommon that family members will have similar triggers for their anxiety.

When I was growing up, I remember a family friend who struggled with anxiety around water.  She had always been paralyzed by the thought of swimming or being in a boat.  Her children also suffered from the same fear, and while the children have ultimately learned to swim, it was a long and painful process, because they had to first deal with their anxiety (and their mom’s) of being around the water.

In Chinese medicine, there are three organ systems related to anxiety; the Heart, Spleen, and Kidneys.

The Chinese view anxiety as worry that has gotten out of control.  Each organ system is associated with an emotion, and worry is the emotion associated with the Chinese Spleen.  The Spleen is also your organ system of digestion.  It sifts and sorts what you’ve eaten, takes what is useful, turns it into nutrients to fuel your body, and gets rid of what is not needed.  While your Spleen primarily digests foods, it also plays a role in the sifting and sorting of ideas.  While the emotion associated with the Spleen is worry, it is essentially the same as not being able to sort through and let go of unnecessary ideas.  Worry is a kind of unhealthy rumination, and when it gets out of control, worry becomes anxiety and fear.

While your Spleen is the organ of digestion, your Heart is the Chinese organ of feelings.  We intuitively know that the Heart is an emotional organ.  We feel things with all our heart, have our heart broken, or thank someone from the bottom of our heart. Your Heart is home to the Shen, or your spirit, according to Chinese theory.  Its function is similar to that of your brain in Western biomedicine.  As such your Heart is the home to consciousness, memory, emotions, and thinking.  Whenever someone suffers from any kind of emotional upset or condition, such as anxiety, the Heart is always involved. 

Finally, the Chinese Kidney also plays a role in anxiety in a couple of ways.  First, the emotion related to the Kidney is fear, which is the underlying component of anxiety.  Secondly, the Kidney is the deepest and most nourishing of our organs.  It’s responsible for how well you age, your underlying body constitution, and is the source of all the fundamental substances in your body, such as Yin, Yang, and Essence.  Your Kidney is the organ system most damaged by stress and anxiety.  The Western condition of adrenal fatigue (from stress, anxiety, overwork, etc.) correlates to a severe Kidney depletion in Chinese medicine.

Chinese medicine and acupuncture can offer a number of strategies to help someone suffering from anxiety.  Your practitioner would work by first calming your Shen using acupuncture. This is an effective first line of defense, as research has documented the positive effects that acupuncture has on brain chemistry.   It has been found that acupuncture increases the secretion of endorphins in the brain, the feel good substance associated with pain relief and runner’s high. This effect accounts for the relaxing and calming sensation patients feel both during and after their treatments.

A  practitioner of Chinese medicine might also address your anxiety by nourishing your Spleen and restoring your Kidney health.  Beyond acupuncture, there are a number of safe and effective herbal formulas that can help calm anxiety. Your practitioner can prescribe the combination of herbs that is most appropriate to your individual needs.

Food therapy and lifestyle changes may also be part of your treatment for anxiety.  This may include at-home calming strategies, avoiding stimulants such as coffee or tea, dietary changes, and breathing techniques—all of which can be effective in relieving anxiety.

It may seem like an unlikely juxtaposition to be talking about the holidays and acupuncture.  However, the reality is that acupuncture is extremely effective for emotional conditions such as stress, anxiety, and depression.  Here’s how:

-An acupuncture treatment can sooth the movement of something called Liver Qi, which is the force behind the smooth flow of everything in your body.  This includes your digestion, menses, energy, and even your emotions.  Strong negative emotions makes your Liver Qi stagnate, causing physical symptoms, such as pain, digestive problems, and PMS, as well as emotional symptoms, the most common of which is depression.

-The Heart organ system in Chinese medicine is home to your Shen—the entity that holds your soul, thoughts, memories, and emotions. Your Shen is all about your connection—to other people, your traditions, your reason for being, and your higher power.  When your Shen is unsettled, especially when you’re unhappy, upset, frustrated, or overwhelmed, acupuncture can help nourish your Heart and calm your Shen.

-The act of acupuncture itself is relaxing.  Anyone who has ever had acupuncture can tell you that it’s actually a very calming thing to do.  During the treatment, you rest and listen to relaxing music in a comfortable environment, which is a great way to take time out of the overwhelming craziness that many people associate with the holidays.  Believe it or not, many people fall asleep during their treatment.

-Lots of research has been conducted on the physical effects of acupuncture.  Scientists have found that acupuncture alters your brain chemistry in a good way. Acupuncture stimulates your peripheral nerves (those far away from your brain), which causes an increase in the production of feel-good chemicals in your brain, called endorphins.  Commonly associated with a runner’s high, endorphins can relieve pain, calm you down, and cause mild feelings of euphoria.  Who doesn’t want that?

-The research on acupuncture also suggests that treatments can boost immunity.  When you’re stressed and run down, your immune system is one of the first things to take a hit.  A couple of treatments can be just the thing to help you ward off a nasty cold or seasonal flu.

This year, ask yourself:  Are you going to stress out and struggle through the holidays, or are you going to do something about it?  When you come up with the answer, think about acupuncture.

In the throes of your first panic attack, you’re sure you’re dying right here and now, and for good reason.  The symptoms of a panic attack can include a rapid or pounding heart, chest tightness, shortness of breath, dizziness, paralyzing anxiety, sweating, shaking, and hot flashes.  If you’ve ever had a panic attack, it’s clear—you don’t want to experience another.

So what’s happening during a panic attack?  Your body is experiencing the fight or flight response, but on steroids.  Your adrenal glands are pumping out hormones, including adrenaline, and the physical sensation of overwhelming fear is similar to being in sudden and immediate danger.

There are a number of theories as to why people suffer from panic attacks.  There may be a hereditary component, and triggers may include a major life transition, illness, stress, and medications that increase activity in the brain related to fear reactions.

In Chinese medicine, there are three organ systems that are related to panic attacks; the Heart, Spleen, and Kidneys.  The Heart is home to the Shen, or the spirit, according to Chinese theory.  Its function is similar to the brain in Western thinking.  As such, the Heart is the home to consciousness, memory, emotions, and thinking.  Whenever someone suffers from any kind of emotional upset or condition, the Heart is always involved. 

The Chinese Spleen is an organ system of digestion.  It sifts and sorts what has been ingested, takes what is useful and turns it into nutrients, and gets rid of what is not needed.  While the Spleen primarily digests foods, it also plays a role in the sifting and sorting of ideas.  The emotion associated with the Spleen is worry—essentially, not being able to sort through and let go of unnecessary ideas.  Worry is a kind of unhealthy rumination.  When it gets out of control, worry can produce anxiety and fear—the foundation of panic attacks.

Finally, the Chinese Kidney also plays a role in panic attacks in two ways.  First, the emotion related to the Kidney is fear, which is the underlying component of panic.  Secondly, the Kidney is the deepest and most nourishing of our organs.  It’s responsible for how well you age, your underlying body constitution, and is the source of all the fundamental substances in your body.  Your Kidney is the organ system most damaged by stress and anxiety.  The Western condition of adrenal fatigue (from stress, anxiety, overwork, etc.) correlates to a severe Kidney depletion in Chinese medicine.

Chinese medicine and acupuncture can offer a number of strategies to help someone suffering from panic attacks.  An acupuncturist would work by first calming your Shen, relieving anxiety, and minimizing stress.  This is an effective first line of defense, as research has documented the positive effects acupuncture has on brain chemistry.  This effect accounts for the relaxing and calming sensation patients feel both during and after their treatments.

A practitioner of Chinese medicine might also address your panic attacks by nourishing your Spleen and restoring your Kidney health.  Beyond acupuncture, you may prescribed an herbal formula, some dietary suggestions, and strategies for stress relief.

Finally, some practical advice if you suffer from panic attacks:

-Realize that your body cannot sustain this mega-fight or flight response for more than a few minutes.  It will pass.

-When you’re having a panic attack, you might think the best thing to do is sit down, relax, and let it pass.  However, if you get up and move around, go for a walk, do some jumping jacks, your body will metabolize the adrenaline faster.

-Avoid caffeinated drinks and any other foods that you think might trigger an attack.

- In almost every instance, stressful situations or circumstances are at the core of anxiety and panic conditions.  Do what it takes to get your stress under control.  Take regular walks, meditate, go fishing, take a Yoga class, play video games, change your circumstances, or whatever else it takes for you to eliminate stress.

-Seriously consider acupuncture.  It can be a very safe, effective, drug-free way to eliminate anxiety and panic attacks.

In my clinic, I see a number of people who are looking for relief from stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions.  Many of my patients who are struggling with their emotional health also report feeling something like a lump caught in their throat.

These patients describe this lump as the feeling of something being caught at the bottom of their throat, and it won’t go away no matter what they do.  The lump can be mild, and mentioned only when I ask, or it can be so severe, like Alan’s, that it will limit a patient’s diet.  For some people, certain foods seem to aggravate the feeling, among them meat, onions, acidic foods, and alcohol.

So what is this lump and where does it come from?  In most cases, this lump sensation is a spasm of one of the muscles of the esophagus.  It can physically be caused by a throat infection such as strep, being overweight or esophageal reflux.   Difficulty swallowing can be the sign of more serious conditions, and should be checked out by your doctor if it lasts for more than a week or two.

In Chinese medicine, this lump is called Plum Pit Qi because it feels like a plum pit is caught in your throat.  The Chinese believe that Plum Pit Qi is the result of a situation that is figuratively too hard to swallow, so it gets caught in your throat.  That’s why all of the patients I have seen with this condition also are struggling with some kind of life stress or mental health issue.

Plum Pit Qi is a diagnosis that encompasses a Liver and Spleen disharmony combined with phlegm.  A disharmony between the Chinese Liver and Spleen, in general, means that your energy is stagnating (usually emotional energy) and beginning to mess up your digestion.  In Chinese medicine, phlegm can be both visible (what you see when you blow your nose or cough) and invisible.  Invisible phlegm can be the result of energy stagnating combined with poor fluid metabolism, and is the cause of many lumps and bumps in your body.  Things like goiters, tumors, and cysts can be considered invisible phlegm.

In the clinic, Plum Pit Qi can be successfully and naturally treated.  I like to combine acupuncture with Chinese herbs for this condition.  The formula Ban Xia Hou Po Tang is formulated specifically for Plum Pit Qi, is safe, and works incredibly well.  Self care for Plum Pit Qi includes tracking the foods that aggravate your symptoms, and working on resolving stress, anxiety, and the situations in your life that are too difficult to swallow.

For more information on Qi stagnation, specific action steps for a Liver and Spleen disharmony, resolving phlegm, and foods for your particular body constitution, order Simple Steps: The Chinese Way to Better Health.

The following is a guest blog from Catriona Boyle who works with an online counseling and hypnotherapy directory in the UK.  Clearly, the effects of our economic problems are worldwide!

As the credit crunch bites down harder, more stress is being put onto already weary shoulders, as people struggle with money, holding down jobs, and having financial security. Stress and all the problems associated with it is one of the less obvious effects of the economic downturn. Experts predict that the mental strain and drain is only truly starting to show, and could be one of the most long-lasting effects of the recession.

Stress can lead to many other problems, both mental and physical. People suffering from stress may go on to develop further long-term mental health illnesses, such as depression or anxiety. Physical ailments can include aches and pains, digestive issues, and even heart problems.

So, in such testing times, relaxation is paramount. There are many ways to aid relaxation – much more than just taking a few deep breaths. Alternative therapies lend themselves well to this – by their very nature they bring a calming, tranquil influence, treating the body and mind as a whole and dealing with a range of issues.

For treating stress as well as physical and emotional conditions, acupuncture can be the perfect treatment. Stress can often induce tension headaches, for which acupuncture has proved hugely effective. Acupuncture is now becoming widely available, and many patients in the UK are now given acupuncture as part of treatment on the National Health Service as an alternative to prescribing medication.

Hypnotherapy is also becoming increasingly popular as a form of relaxation. Being induced into a trance-like state leaves the client more open to thoughts and suggestions, and can help change behavioural patterns. This means that the sufferer can learn how to respond differently in situations that would normally cause them stress, and help turn a negative situation into a positive one.

A recently launched UK website, Hypnotherapy Directory (http://www.hypnotherapy-directory.org.uk/) aims to make the process of finding a hypnotherapist much easier, and most helpfully, stress free. There is a comprehensive search tool allowing the user to search a specific location which then brings up a list of hypnotherapists. Each hypnotherapist has their own profile, including information about which areas they cover, their fees and experience and qualification, allowing an informed choice to be made.

So don’t suffer in silence. Help is available, and most importantly it’s available in a simple, easy to find way.