Can Acupuncture Treat Serious Stress Cases? Survey Says…

Do you ever feel like you're wound up too tight? That you constantly find yourself working on a deadline, rushing to finish a project, or getting stuck in ridiculous traffic when you're expected to be somewhere? Yep, you are among the millions of Americans (us included) who experience chronic stress throughout their lives. While a little stress is normal and even necessary, continuous stress is serious business — but if new research is as promising as it seems, acupuncture may be the answer.

Researchers led by Ladan Eshkevari in Georgetown University of Nursing and Health Studies recently experimented with lab rats. They found that inducing stress (via a daily ice-cold bath) had a less stressful effect on rats that underwent acupuncture treatment prior to their baths. Acupuncture, the researchers found, helped to re-stabilize stress hormone levels. Of course, this study was only effective on lab rats — and, to be honest, it kind of stresses us out to think about those poor little guys — so it may be a while 'til we see whether humans have similar results. Still, it's one more reason to schedule an acupuncture appointment the next time we need to chill. Which is right about...now. (Time)