What We Treat
Anxiety and Stress
Find Relief from Anxiety and Stress
Your to-do list doesn't stop, and neither does the tightness in your chest. Maybe you're lying awake running through tomorrow's meetings. Maybe you snap at people you love more than you'd like to admit. Maybe you've started to wonder if "wired and tired" is just who you are now.
It isn't. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can calm an overactive nervous system and help you feel like yourself again. Read on for how it works, what a session looks like, and how many visits it typically takes.
Different Types of Anxiety and Stress
Not all anxiety has the same root cause. Here are a few different types we see in our clinic. Many people have some combination of these, but this list is by no means exhaustive.
Liver Qi Stagnation
Liver Qi stagnation happens when stress has nowhere to go. It shows up as irritability, tight shoulders, a knot in your chest, or that feeling of being "on edge" all day. This pattern is especially common in high-pressure jobs and caretaking roles, where the stress response gets triggered again and again without a chance to fully discharge.
SP Qi and Heart Blood Deficiency
In TCM, the Heart affects your mind and sleep. This is because the Heart houses the Shen, your mental clarity and sense of calm. When the Heart is distressed by overdoing things, you could have racing thoughts at bedtime, a restless mind, or a heart that pounds for no clear reason, and a lot of fatigue because you haven’t been able to get good rest.
This pattern can be tied to insomnia. If sleeplessness is your main complaint, that page goes deeper on it specifically.
Heart and Kidney Yin Deficiency
This is usually common in people who work the night shift. Not being able to nourish the Yin and rest at night can cause this pattern more often. This is also common in perimenopause when hormonal shifts cause women to run hot. Daytime irritability is also a common symptom of this pattern. Insomnia is also a typical symptom of this pattern.
Most patients arrive with some combination of these patterns. That's normal, and sorting out exactly how they're showing up in your body is what a custom treatment plan is built to do.
Common Symptoms of Anxiety and Stress
Anxiety and stress show up differently for everyone, but a few patterns are especially common.
Racing thoughts. A mind that won't quiet down, especially at bedtime or during quiet moments.
Physical tension. Tight shoulders, a clenched jaw, or a knot in the chest that doesn't ease with stretching.
Sleep disruption. Trouble falling asleep, waking in the middle of the night, or waking up already anxious. If sleep is your main complaint, our insomnia page goes deeper on that specifically.
Irritability and a short fuse. Snapping at people you love, or feeling on edge without an obvious trigger.
Digestive changes. A nervous stomach, appetite changes, low appetite, or stress-related digestive discomfort.
Fatigue that doesn't match your sleep. Feeling "wired and tired," exhausted but unable to fully rest.
Palpitations. A racing heart or shallow breathing during stressful moments. This should always be evaluated by a doctor to rule out cardiac causes, especially if it's new or severe, but it's also extremely common in people dealing with chronic anxiety and stress.
A Holistic Approach to Anxiety & Stress
We treat the whole picture instead of a single symptom in isolation. Most anxiety and stress treatment plans combine:
- Acupuncture to calm the nervous system directly
- Chinese herbs to support longer-term balance
- Nutrition and wellness planning for the habits that feed stress
Acupuncture for Anxiety and Stress
Chinese herbal medicine for Anxiety and Stress
Nutrition and Anxiety and Stress
Acupuncture for Anxiety & Stress
Acupuncture points signal your nervous system to shift out of fight-or-flight and into rest-and-digest. Researchers also think that acupuncture can help you switch off your fight-or-flight response. Acupuncture improves blood flow, can help lower blood pressure, and calm the nervous system.
Can Acupuncture Help With Anxiety?
Yes. Acupuncture has been shown to lower cortisol and activate your parasympathetic nervous system, the part of your body responsible for calm. Many patients feel noticeably more settled within their first few sessions.
Where Do Acupuncture Needles Go for Anxiety and Stress?
Needle placement depends on your specific pattern, but a few areas come up again and again.
Yintang and other points along the forehead and scalp calm a racing mind. HT-7 and P-6 on the wrist and forearm ease palpitations. Points along the upper back and shoulders such as GB-21 release the physical bracing that builds up from chronic stress.
Auricular points on the ear are frequently added for their fast-acting calming effect. Your acupuncturist selects points based on your individual presentation, not a fixed formula.
Chinese Herbs for Anxiety & Stress
Herbal formulas work alongside acupuncture to support your body between visits. One classic formula for stress-related irritability and a stuck feeling is Xiao Yao San, also known as Free and Easy Wanderer. Your herbalist will customize your formula based on your specific pattern rather than prescribing the same thing to everyone.
Nutrition to Help Ease Anxiety and Stress
What you eat has a real effect on how anxious or wired you feel. Blood-sugar swings from skipped meals or too much caffeine can mimic and worsen anxiety symptoms. The racing heart and jitteriness of a caffeine crash can feel a lot like a panic response.
Steady, protein-and-fiber-forward meals help keep blood sugar (and mood) more even through the day. Many people skip meals when feeling anxious or stressed. We help our patients come up with a plan so they are well-nourished. Our practitioners can guide you toward specific choices that fit your individual presentation.
The Support You Needed
Treatment is tailored for me and my stressors
I have been a patient at Cherry Blossom Healing Arts for many years. The service I have received has been top notch. While I have received effective treatments for pain, most recently, my treatments have focused on stress. 2020 has been a challenging time, the care I received has helped me cope with everyday stress. Treatment is tailored for me and my stressors. It has made 2020 not so bad.
Read MoreTreatment Plan for Anxiety and Stress
Your first visit starts with a real conversation. We'll ask about your sleep, your stress triggers, your health history, and what's already changed because of the anxiety. Then we build a plan around your body, not a generic protocol.
Return acupuncture sessions run about an hour. You'll lie comfortably while needles are placed; most people describe the feeling as a light pinch followed by deep relaxation. Many patients nap peacefully during their acupuncture treatments.
How Many Sessions Will I Need?
Most people start with weekly visits for four to six weeks, then reassess. Many patients feel much calmer and sleep better after just one or two sessions. Others need a full course before the shift feels lasting. Your acupuncturist will adjust the plan as you go.
Acupuncture Alongside Therapy and Mindfulness
Acupuncture works well with talk therapy and mindfulness practices like meditation. It works alongside both, not in place of either, making the nervous-system work you're already doing feel easier, since a calmer body has an easier time sitting with difficult thoughts. If you're already in therapy, tell your acupuncturist. We'll build around what's working for you. Most of our patients find this multi-pronged approach very helpful.
Insurance and Practical Details
We are in-network with CareFirst/BlueCross and Aetna, and we'll check your benefits for free before you ever come in. Most patients pay far less than they expect. Book your first visit online whenever it's convenient. We're open seven days a week, including evenings.
Anxiety and Stress FAQs
What's a Typical Acupuncture Protocol for Anxiety?
There's no single fixed protocol, because no two patients' stress looks the same. That said, most plans follow a similar shape.
Weekly acupuncture sessions for the first four to six weeks, this can be paired with a custom Chinese herbal formula.
Some patients also get lifestyle and nutrition guidance to support the pattern we're treating.
After the initial course, we reassess together. Many patients move to biweekly or monthly maintenance visits once symptoms settle, while others need a longer initial course before the shift feels lasting.
Your acupuncturist adjusts the plan based on how you're responding, not a one-size-fits-all schedule.
How Does Acupuncture Compare to Mindfulness or Therapy for Anxiety?
They're not competing approaches. In our experience, they work best together. Mindfulness and talk therapy help you build the mental tools to notice and work with anxious thoughts.
Acupuncture works on a different, complementary level: it calms the physiological stress response directly, lowering cortisol and shifting your nervous system out of fight-or-flight, so the mental work you're doing in therapy has an easier time landing.
Research on acupuncture for anxiety supports it as an effective complementary treatment used alongside conventional care.
If you're already in therapy or practicing mindfulness, tell your acupuncturist. We'll build your treatment plan around what's already working for you.
Can Acupuncture Replace My Anxiety Medication?
No. Acupuncture works well alongside anxiety medication, and plenty of patients use both together.
Any change to your medication, including stopping it, should go through the doctor who prescribed it, since some anxiety medications can cause serious withdrawal effects if stopped abruptly.
What we often see is that acupuncture calms your nervous system enough that patients feel ready to bring up reducing medication with their doctor sooner than expected.
What Should I Ask an Acupuncturist Before Starting Anxiety Treatment?
A few questions are worth asking before starting acupuncture for anxiety specifically:
- Do you have experience treating anxiety and stress, not just general pain or other conditions?
- What would a typical treatment plan look like for my specific pattern, and how will we know if it's working?
Every acupuncturist on our team is happy to answer these questions.
Do You Offer Auricular Acupuncture for Anxiety?
Yes. Auricular (ear) acupuncture uses very fine needles placed at specific points on the outer ear that map to different systems in the body. It's a technique we use often for anxiety and stress because it's fast to place, well tolerated, and many patients feel a noticeable calming effect within minutes of the needles going in.
We typically combine ear points with body points in the same session, though ear points alone can also be used as a shorter, more accessible treatment when that fits your schedule better.
Your Acupuncture Treatment Plan
Your journey to better health begins before you step through our doors. You'll be able to easily schedule an appointment online as well as fill out your health history form before you arrive at our office—maximizing conversational and treatment time with your acupuncturist.
At your first appointment, your acupuncturist will discuss your health history, get input from you on what your treatment goals are, and develop a treatment plan. They'll then treat you using whatever services are best suited to your specific symptoms.
Although plans vary depending on the patient, most typically run for four weeks. At the end of your first visit, your acupuncturist will give you a written treatment plan. At subsequent visits, you'll discuss your symptoms and whether they've improved, regressed, or stayed the same. Your acupuncturist will adjust the treatment plan based on your input and their ongoing diagnosis of your condition.
When your main complaint is resolved, you can reduce treatment or work on another symptom. Still thinking it over? Take a look at our Testimonials page to see what other patients are saying.
You Deserve to Feel Like Yourself Again
Anxiety and stress don't have to be your new normal. Whether you've been dealing with it for a few weeks or a few years, we're here to help you get to the root of what's going on and create a personalized plan to help your nervous system genuinely settle down.
Acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, and nutrition guidance work together as an integrative system that addresses anxiety and stress from every angle, and we've seen it change lives for patients right here in Washington DC.
Ready to experience this for yourself? Head to our booking page and schedule your first appointment. If you'd like us to check your insurance benefits, we'd be happy to take care of that for you. We are in-network with CareFirst/BlueCross and Aetna.
Be well,
The Cherry Blossom Team
