What is Anxiety? - Here are the Symptoms, Causes, Types, Treatments and Acupuncture

What is anxiety? In acupuncture and Chinese medicine, anxiety is understood as a frequent and normal reaction to life or sickness, or to receiving treatment and to the health care system itself. Typically, it is a response to a perceived threat, such as having an operation in hospital.

For some people, anxiety can also be a filter for their perceptions and reactions. For others, it may be part of their illness.

The definition of anxiety is explained as a vague, uneasy feeling. The source of the anxious feeling is often non-specific, or unknown, to the individual.

This vague or uneasy feeling can be associated with an anticipation of impending danger and dread to the extent that normal functioning is impaired. It is accompanied by restlessness, tension, tachycardia, and breathing difficulty – all of these not associated with an apparent stimulus.. This reaction may be expressed as a panic disorder, a phobia, or a compulsion.

In general, an anxious person tend to sit tensely or edgily, they can fidget with their fingers or fiddle with things such as clothes or keys. They may sigh frequently, lick their lips which are dry, they sweat more than average and they can actually tremble.

But some anxious people can fall silent, they may be unable to speak freely or confide in other people. Some try to convert their feelings with words, but in the process they busily avoid their own basic problems.

Anxiety State

If you experience physiologic changes such as sweating, tremors, rapid heartbeat, dilated pupils and dry mouth, then you’ve entered an “anxiety state.” When you are in this state, your body also produces a mental and/or emotional reaction characterised by apprehension, uncertainty and irrational fear.

In children, anxiety can elevate their body temperature.

In the acupuncture and Chinese medicine tradition it is considered that a brief and mild feeling of anxiety is common for the majority of people. It is a normal reaction for the body to respond to stress with an anxiety state; this occurs when you are faced with an important event such as an examination, a job interview, meeting the parents of a loved one for the very first time. However, if the symptoms reoccur too often or they start to interfere with your daily life, then you should see a doctor.

You should note that when the condition becomes chronic and associated with worry, it is termed Generalized Anxiety Disorder whereas if it is acute severe episodic anxiety, it is termed Panic Anxiety.

For more information on anxiety, please click on the following links.

• Physical symptoms of anxiety
  
• Causes of anxiety
  
• Treatment of anxiety
  

Kinds of Anxiety

• Generalised anxiety disorder or “free-floating” anxiety
• Situational anxiety
• Performance anxiety
• Panic anxiety
• Castration anxiety (anxiety complex)

If you feel you'd like to receive treatment for your stress or anxiety, please contact me at my acupuncture Chinese herbal medicine clinic, located in Berwick Australia.

Learn Stress Reduction Techniques and How to Control Anxiety

Please click on this link: stress reduction techniques and ways to control anxiety to read more about acupuncture's dao yin qi gong healing exercises, which includes special beathing and vital pressure points techniques to prevent illness.

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