The Many Faces of Anxiety

I’ve seen anxiety show itself in all kinds of ways. I’ve seen it stop periods and start up episodes of hives. I’ve seen it wreak havoc on the digestive system and cause harsh eczema flare ups. It can make people feel suffocated – like they just can’t get a full breath of air in. Thyroid levels can be thrown off by it. Issues with weight and emotional eating become difficult to cope with. It can even knock your energy levels down to zero. In some cases, it can present itself as what’s known as Body Focused Repetitive Behaviours. This includes skin picking, nail biting, hair pulling and lip/cheek biting.

Of course, anxiety can’t be the only thing someone considers for these symptoms. Often, physical issues should be ruled out before anxiety can be diagnosed as the cause of a symptom. If you get to that frustrating place where all the testing has come back normal and nothing seems to resolve the symptoms long term – consider anxiety. Consider seeing what impact treating anxiety may have on your symptoms. It still may not be the answer, but it’s worth a try.

Are you someone who says you don’t feel anxious? This is something that many people say. And yet, when I treat them for stress or anxiety they feel a lot better. We may get so used to a hectic pace of life that we don’t notice when we’re anxious anymore. Sometimes we don't interpret our feelings as anxiety. Sometimes we just distract ourselves from that growing tension with work and technology.

I’ve treated anxiety in many ways. My favourite approach is a series of acupuncture sessions. I couple this with a few carefully chosen herbs and nutrients. At each acupuncture session, I discuss different lifestyle strategies for coping with anxiety. I’ve also treated anxiety without acupuncture and just focused on the other remedies.

If you need help managing your anxiety or any of the symptoms mentioned above, book a free 15-minute consult or appointment.