Stress is a widespread problem a large number of Americans deal with on a daily basis. According to the Global Organization for Stress, three quarters of adults said they had moderate to high levels of stress during the previous month and nearly 50 percent reported their stress increasing during the prior year. Eighty percent of workers feel stress on the job and have trouble managing it, and the condition is a concern for high school age children.

What should you do if — like many — you experience stress? Luckily, there are natural solutions to stress. 

Acupuncture and Meditation for Stress Relief

Proactively dealing with stress can not only make you feel better — it can reduce your health care costs. After an average of five years of practicing the stress-reducing Transcendental Meditation technique, people with consistently high health care costs experience a significant decrease in doctor fees.

It's one of many natural holistic health approaches to stress. Like meditation, acupuncture can alleviate stress by releasing natural pain-killing chemicals, called endorphins.

In most populations, a small fraction of people account for the majority of health care costs. In the U.S., the highest spending 10 percent in the general population incur 60 to 70 percent of total medical expenditures annually. The highest spending 25 percent of seniors account for 85 percent of total expenses. A large number of these people have consistently high medical bills over many years.

Chronic stress is the number one factor contributing to high medical expenses. Stress reduction may help reduce these costs. This new study compared the changes in physician costs for 284 consistent high-cost participants—divided into two groups of 142 Transcendental Meditation practitioners and a second group of 142 non-practitioners, over five years.

Meditation and acupuncture work for stress reduction

During a five-year assessment period, the Transcendental Meditation practitioner group’s annual rate of change in payments declined by 28 percent compared to the non-practitioner group’s payments, which showed no significant changes.

Acupuncture treats a wide range of stress-related symptoms and conditions, including: Headaches, pain, fatigue, sleep disorders, mood swings, allergies, sinus conditions, and reproductive disorders.

A doctor of acupuncture and Oriental medicine may recommend a comprehensive treatment program, including:

• Dietary modification
• A regular exercise schedule
• Management of irregular sleep patterns

Acupuncture improves blood circulation, oxygenates tissues, decreases heart rate and blood pressure, and relaxes muscles, which can aid in stress management. Acupuncture is a safe and non-invasive therapy.

Getting treatment

The community clinic at the Acupuncture and Massage College in Miami offers acupuncture, massage therapy and herbal medicine for the treatment of a wide range of health conditions, including stress. To schedule an appointment call (305) 595-9500. For information about the college's programs in Oriental medicine and massage therapy programs contact our admissions office.