It is thought that acupuncture helps to stimulate sensory nerves under the skin and within muscles, which then causes the body to produce natural substances, including pain-relieving endorphins. As such, acupuncture is often used as a treatment for those suffering from migraines and chronic tension-type headaches, anxiety, joint pain, dental pain, chronic pain, infertility and post-operative pain. Acupuncture can also act on parts of the brain known for reducing sensitivity to stress and help promote relaxation and research has shown that acupuncture treatment may specifically benefit anxiety disorders and symptoms of anxiety and stress by:

• Acting on areas of the brain known to reduce sensitivity to pain and stress, as well as promoting relaxation and deactivating the ‘analytical’ brain, which is responsible for anxiety and worry.
• Regulating levels of neurotransmitters and hormones such as serotonin, noradrenaline, dopamine, GABA, neuropeptide Y and ACTH; hence altering the brain’s mood chemistry to help to combat negative affective states.
• Stimulating production of endogenous opioids that affect the autonomic nervous system. Stress activates the sympathetic nervous system, while acupuncture can activate the opposing parasympathetic nervous system, which initiates the relaxation response; Reversing pathological changes in levels of inflammatory cytokines that are associated with stress reactions.

Acupuncture is also well know for combatting other PTSD symptoms such as sore joints, painful muscles, lack of energy, and disrupted sleep.