Stress

Stress is a natural response to life’s challenges, but when it becomes chronic, it can seriously affect your well-being.

Long-term stress can weaken the immune system and contribute to a range of health issues, including anxiety, depression, insomnia, digestive problems, and even heart disease. It can also lead to unhealthy coping behaviours such as overeating, smoking, or excessive alcohol consumption.

Discover how Chinese Medicine can help strengthen your immune system and support both your body and mind in managing stress at AcuMedic Stress Specialist Clinic. Explore our Anti-Stress Programme, designed by fully qualified CMIR-registered physicians with deep Western medical expertise.

Visit us today or get free personalised health advice and take the first step towards a calmer, more balanced life!

How can we help?

Chinese Medicine, especially when paired with Western care, has proven incredibly effective in tackling chronic stress and stress-related disorders, delivering lasting relief without any harmful side effects.

Studies show that by activating the calming parasympathetic nervous system and soothing the fight-or-flight response, Chinese Medicine helps reduce cortisol levels (the stress hormone) and boosts feel-good chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, noradrenaline, and GABA, the relaxation amino acid.

It’s also been shown to lower blood pressure, reduce heart rate, relax muscles, and quiet the mind—benefits that can last up to 3 months after completing a course of treatment.

With a personalised approach that blends Acupuncture, custom herbal formulas, and tailored lifestyle and dietary recommendations, Chinese Medicine targets both the symptoms and root causes of stress, helping you feel balanced, calm, and in control.

How quickly will you see results?

Typically, it takes about 3-4 weeks to start seeing consistent results, although improvements can often be noticed sooner. Most people feel more at ease after their first acupuncture treatment, while herbal formulas may take a little longer to show effects.

Depending on your personal goals and how long you’ve been dealing with stress or a stress-related condition, you can expect steady progress with each treatment as the benefits build up over time.

As a general guideline, we usually recommend weekly acupuncture sessions for the first month to help kickstart your body’s natural healing abilities. After that, we’ll review your plan to make sure you’re on track and continuing to make progress.

About Stress

Stress is a natural, physiological, and psychological response to life’s challenges—whether from big changes like starting a new job or the birth of a child, or everyday pressures.

Our bodies are wired to react to both internal and external stressors. These stress responses help us adjust to new situations or handle demanding tasks by keeping us alert, motivated, and ready to take action.

When we feel threatened or face a difficult situation, the body’s sympathetic nervous system kicks in, releasing adrenaline, cortisol, and other stress hormones to prepare us to ‘fight or flight.’ Once the ‘threat’ passes, the parasympathetic system takes over, releasing serotonin and other chemicals that promote relaxation and activate the ‘rest and digest’ mode.

Stress only becomes a problem when stressors keep piling up without relief, keeping the body stuck in ‘fight or flight’ mode.

This ongoing tension can wear the body down, leading to unhealthy coping mechanisms and a range of physical and emotional symptoms. Common signs include:

• Irritability
• Restlessness
• Exhaustion
• Trouble sleeping
• Headaches
• Muscle aches
• Accelerated heart rate
• Shortness of breath
• And more

Western Medicine View

Stress is your body’s natural response to real or perceived threats, designed to keep you safe and alert.

In Western medicine, though, the exact reasons why this built-in survival system sometimes malfunctions and triggers stress for no obvious reason are still not fully understood.

Chronic stress can be triggered by a wide range of factors—from life events and emotional trauma to an overstimulated nervous system or imbalances in brain chemicals. Low levels of mood-boosting neurotransmitters like dopamine, noradrenaline, serotonin, and GABA, combined with an overload of stress hormones like cortisol, are believed to fuel an overactive “fight-or-flight” response.

Since stress is subjective and can’t be measured directly, healthcare professionals rely on questionnaires to assess how stress is affecting a person’s life. Physical symptoms, such as high blood pressure or headaches, are also considered in the evaluation.

Treatment usually targets the specific health condition, with medications or tranquillising drugs to help calm the body and reset the nervous system.

While these solutions often provide quick relief, they may not be the best long-term fix for everyone.

Chinese Medicine View

Chinese Medicine acknowledges the deep connection between the mind, body, and overall health—a link that scientific research is now backing up. It also understands the strong relationship between emotions and specific organs, particularly when it comes to stress. In Chinese Medicine, stress is thought to primarily affect the Liver, Spleen, and Heart organ systems.

The Liver is especially connected to emotional health and is primarily responsible for processing stress. When the Liver becomes overwhelmed, it leads to what Chinese Medicine refers to as Liver Qi Stagnation. This stagnation is considered one of the main underlying causes of stress, and if left unaddressed, it can begin to impact other organ systems, including the Spleen, which supports the immune system, and the Kidneys, which regulate energy levels.

Treatment in Chinese Medicine focuses on addressing these imbalances by clearing Liver Qi stagnation, boosting circulation, and strengthening the Spleen and Kidney systems to improve immunity and energy levels.

Beyond addressing physical imbalances, Chinese Medicine also works to ease the emotional and psychological aspects of stress, helping both the body and mind build resilience against life’s challenges.

Lifestyle Advice

You can’t avoid stress, but you can stop it from taking over by practising a few simple daily habits. Check out our free guide to 3 Steps to Rise Above Stress, or read on for more tips.

• Fuel your body right: Eat whole, seasonal, and nutrient-rich foods, and drink plenty of water. Stress can zap key vitamins like A, B-complex, C, and E, so keeping your nutrition in check helps you stay strong and better equipped to handle stress.
• Get moving: Whether it’s yoga, tai chi, qigong, or a simple walk, movement is key to balancing your mind and body and improving your overall quality of life.
• Breathe deeply: Deep breathing is a quick and easy way to calm your nervous system. Keep it simple. Try this: Inhale for 5 seconds, hold for 2, then exhale for 5. This will reset your nervous system and bring you back to calm.
• Give meditation a go: Not for everyone, but it’s worth trying! Guided meditation helps shift your focus and takes you out of the daily stress cycle.
• Stay social: We’re wired for connection. Whether it’s at work or through shared activities, fostering relationships and finding a sense of community is key to your well-being.

Incorporating these tips into your routine will help you tackle stress head-on and amplify the benefits of any treatment you’re receiving—whether it’s Western, Eastern, or a mix of both.