Matthew Fellner DACM, L.Ac.
Now that we are emerging from the throes of the pandemic and starting to feel life slowly return to normal, there are so many activities that we look forward to resuming. It’s not just that we miss going to the movies or having BBQ’s with friends. There is a deeper fulfillment that these activities provide. Social interaction and recreation are absolute requirements to fostering a healthy sense of psychological and physical wellbeing. Unfortunately, one of the main side effects of spending more than a year closed off from these activities is anxiety & depression. Exacerbating this lack of social activity and interaction was a reluctance of many people to seek out help for the very effect that this solitude was causing.
But now with restrictions being lifted and people feeling safer spending more time outside their hermetically sealed bubbles, it is crucial that we begin to heal the damage that this isolation has caused. Getting back to normal will help significantly with feelings of loneliness and isolation, but it may not be enough. Re-establishing a routine for mental health care is also going to be crucial to ensure that feel our best. Acupuncture is one of the safest and most effective ways to achieve that.
Acupuncture has been shown to be as effective if not more effective, with fewer side effects, than many medications. A Scientific American article cited a study that compared the effects of acupuncture to Prozac and found “… the acupuncture began to work faster, reducing symptoms more dramatically at weeks two and four than the drug did. Among the patients who got better, a higher percentage of the acupuncture recipients showed “great improvement…” https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-acupuncture-treat-depression/
Regular acupuncture treatments can leave you feeling less anxious and depressed, and can alter brain chemistry often better than medication, with almost no side effects. Acupuncture is performed in an environment that encourages relaxation, calmness, and healing, that can stay with you for a significant amount of time post treatment. Many patients describe that time as the best part of their day and look forward to leaving the stress of everyday life behind. Now is the time to focus on your wellness and mental health that may have been neglected during the pandemic. Get out, get exercise, see your friends and family, and take care of your health with regular acupuncture treatments.
