Acupuncture:

Anxiety

Acupuncture can noticeably reduce anxiety, helping one feel calmer in a few weeks. It works faster than pills and is gentler than medical therapy, with fewer side effects, making it a great option for anxiety management

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Acupuncture for Anxiety

Introduction

Anxiety disorders, particularly generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), affect millions, causing persistent worry, nervousness, and physical symptoms like muscle tension or a racing heart. This section explores acupuncture’s effectiveness for anxiety based on a summary of two systematic reviews—Yang et al. (2021) with 20 randomized controlled trials (RCTs, ~1,600 patients) and Li et al. (2022) with 27 RCTs (1,782 patients)—both focusing on GAD.

GAD  affects 5–7% of people and up to 63.3% of menopausal women, and brings uncontrollable worry and physical discomfort, worsened by stressors like social isolation or financial pressures. Standard treatments like SSRIs (e.g. Prozac, Paxil) or benzodiazepines (Xanax, Klonopin) cause side effects (e.g., 20–30% experience nausea or drowsiness), and treatment inadequacy in one-third of patients.

Acupuncture offers a safe, flexible alternative, to calm the mind and reduce stress hormones. Its growing use reflects its appeal as a low-risk therapy that work may faster than medications, making it valuable for GAD management.

Summary of recent research

Acupuncture significantly reduces anxiety in GAD patients, with Yang et al. showing a moderate benefit and Li et al. reporting a stronger benefit after 4–6 weeks. Patients felt less worried and tense, achieving meaningful improvement compared to sham fake) acupuncture, no treatment, or medications like paroxetine).

Electroacupuncture and manual acupuncture are both effective, with EA possibly stronger in some trials. Acupuncture acts faster than medications (e.g., fluoxetine or paroxetine, which take 6–8 weeks) but may be less effective than CBT (cognitive behavior therapy).

Self-reported benefits show larger improvements than clinician-assessed benefits, suggesting patients feel a greater difference than test measures. Compared to benzodiazepines (with 30% drowsiness) or duloxetine (with 20% nausea), acupuncture is milder but safer. Exercise may offer similar anxiety relief but requires more effort.

 

Related Outcomes

  • Depression: Neither of these systematic review directly measured depression, but anxiety relief often improves mood. Other studies show acupuncture reduces depression less than CBT (1cognitive behavior therapy) or Cymbalta/duloxetine  Acupuncture can provide supportive therapy for mood in GAD patients and may enhance medical management when combined.

 

  • Quality of Life/Well-Being: Neither review assessed quality of life, but reduced anxiety likely improves daily functioning. Other research suggests acupuncture boosts perception of well-being, similar to exercise but less than CBT. It helps patients enjoy life more by easing worry.

 

  • Safety: Acupuncture is very safe, with reported only 10–20% minor side effects (e.g., needle pain, bruising). It has fewer and milder side effects compared to benzodiazepines (30% drowsiness) and SSRIs medications including paroxetine (20–30% nausea).

How It Works for Anxiety:

Acupuncture reduces anxiety by boosting GABA and serotonin and calming the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, lowering cortisol.

References

  1. Yang XY, Yang NB, Huang FF, Ren S, Li ZJ. Effectiveness of acupuncture on anxiety disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Ann Gen Psychiatry. 2021;20:9. doi:10.1186/s12991-021-00327-5
  2. Li M, Liu X, Ye X, Zhuang L. Efficacy of acupuncture for generalized anxiety disorder: a PRISMA-compliant systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine (Baltimore). 2022;101(49):e30076. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000030076
  3. Smith CA, Armour M, Lee MS, Wang LQ, Hay PJ. Acupuncture for depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Clin Med. 2022;11(4):1083. doi:10.3390/jcm11041083
  4. Amorim D, Amado J, Brito I, et al. Acupuncture and electro-therapeutics for anxiety disorders: a systematic review. Eur J Integr Med. 2018;20:1-9. doi:10.1016/j.eujim.2018.02.008
  5. HealthCMi. Acupuncture news and research. Acupuncture for stress relief and mental health. Published 2023. https://www.healthcmi.com/Acupuncture-Continuing-Education-News/2233-acupuncture-for-stress-relief-and-mental-health

 

References 

  1. Vickers AJ, Vertosick EA, Lewith G, et al. Acupuncture for chronic pain: update of an individual patient data meta-analysis. J Pain. 2018;19(5):455-474. doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2017.11.005
  2. Hopton A, MacPherson H. Acupuncture for chronic pain: is acupuncture more than an effective placebo? A systematic review of pooled data from meta-analyses. Pain Pract. 2011;11(2):194-205. doi:10.1111/j.1533-2500.2010.00437.x
  3. Qaseem A, Wilt TJ, McLean RM, Forciea MA; Clinical Guidelines Committee of the American College of Physicians. Noninvasive treatments for acute, subacute, and chronic low back pain: a clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med. 2017;166(7):514-530. doi:10.7326/M16-2367
  4. Linde K, Allais G, Brinkhaus B, et al. Acupuncture for the prevention of episodic migraine. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016;2016(6):CD001218. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD001218.pub3
  5. Smith CA, Armour M, Lee MS, Wang LQ, Hay PJ. Acupuncture for depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Clin Med. 2022;11(4):1083. doi:10.3390/jcm11041083
  6. Yuan QL, Wang P, Liu L, et al. Acupuncture for functional dyspepsia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2019;2019:5867282. doi:10.1155/2019/5867282
  7. Smith CA, Collins CT, Levett KM, et al. Acupuncture or acupressure for pain management during labour. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020;2(2):CD009232. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD009232.pub2
  8. Feng S, Han M, Fan Y, et al. Acupuncture for the treatment of allergic rhinitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Rhinol Allergy. 2015;29(1):57-62. doi:10.2500/ajra.2015.29.4116
  9. Burke A, Upchurch DM, Dye C, Chyu L. Acupuncture use in the United States: findings from the National Health Interview Survey. J Altern Complement Med. 2006;12(7):639-648. doi:10.1089/acm.2006.12.639
  10. Zhang Y, Lao L, Chen H, Ceballos R. Acupuncture use among American adults: what acupuncture practitioners can learn from National Health Interview Survey 2007? Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:710750. doi:10.1155/2012/710750
  11. Deare JC, Zheng Z, Xue CC, et al. Acupuncture for treating fibromyalgia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013;2013(5):CD007070. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD007070.pub2
  12. Valera-Calero JA, Fernández-de-Las-Peñas C, Navarro-Santana MJ, Plaza-Manzano G. Efficacy of dry needling and acupuncture in patients with fibromyalgia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(16):9904. doi:10.3390/ijerph19169904
  13. Berger AA, Liu Y, Nguyen J, et al. Efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of fibromyalgia. Orthop Rev. 2021;13(1):25085. doi:10.52965/001c.25085
  14. Zheng C, Zhou T. Effect of acupuncture on pain, fatigue, sleep, physical function, stiffness, well-being, and safety in fibromyalgia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Pain Res. 2022;15:315-329. doi:10.2147/JPR.S347810
  15. Zhang XC, Chen H, Xu WT, Song YY, Gu YH, Ni GX. Acupuncture therapy for fibromyalgia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Pain Res. 2019;12:527-542. doi:10.2147/JPR.S186227
  16. MacPherson H, Elliot B, Hopton A, Lansdown H, Birch S, Hewitt C. The evolution of acupuncture research: from clinical trials to translational research. Acupunct Med. 2021;39(1):1-3. doi:10.1177/0964528420981412
  17. HealthCMi. Acupuncture news and research. Acupuncture for stress relief and mental health. Published 2023. https://www.healthcmi.com/Acupuncture-Continuing-Education-News/2233-acupuncture-for-stress-relief-and-mental-health
  18. HealthCMi. Acupuncture news and research. Acupuncture for digestive health. Published 2023. https://www.healthcmi.com/Acupuncture-Continuing-Education-News/2228-acupuncture-for-digestive-health
  19. HealthCMi. Acupuncture news and research. Acupuncture for fertility. Published 2023. https://www.healthcmi.com/Acupuncture-Continuing-Education-News/2230-acupuncture-for-fertility
  20. HealthCMi. Acupuncture news and research. Acupuncture for allergies. Published 2023. https://www.healthcmi.com/Acupuncture-Continuing-Education-News/2227-acupuncture-for-allergies
  21. Acupuncture for chronic pain- update of an individual patient data meta-analysis – 2018

 

Emphasis on Education

 

Accurate Clinic promotes patient education as the foundation of it’s medical care. In Dr. Ehlenberger’s integrative approach to patient care, including conventional and complementary and alternative medical (CAM) treatments, he may encourage or provide advice about the use of supplements. However, the specifics of choice of supplement, dosing and duration of treatment should be individualized through discussion with Dr. Ehlenberger. The following information and reference articles are presented to provide the reader with some of the latest research to facilitate evidence-based, informed decisions regarding the use of conventional as well as CAM treatments.

 

For medical-legal reasons, access to these links is limited to patients enrolled in an Accurate Clinic medical program.

 

Should you wish more information regarding any of the subjects listed – or not listed –  here, please contact Dr. Ehlenberger. He has literally thousands of published articles to share on hundreds of topics associated with pain management, weight loss, nutrition, addiction recovery and emergency medicine. It would take years for you to read them, as it did him.

 

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