Autonomic System and TCM

What most interests me here is the creation of anxiety or nervousness. It's all hidden in the Autonomic System (Sympathetic and Parasympathethic).

Parasympathetic vs. Sympathetic

Like Yin/Yang in Traditional Chinese Medicine and the balance we search for, there is a fine balance between the sympathetic (otherwise known as “fight or flight”) which alerts the body to emergency with epinephrine, and parasympathetic which returns the body to normal after a crisis. A sympathetic response includes impulses to muscles, heartbeat, artery constriction, pupil dilation, etc. A parasympathetic response reverses that and is peaceful.

When life can be stressful, the sympathetic system is highlighted, alerting the body to get ready for crisis. Yoga activates the parasympathetic to bring it back to balance.

Acupuncture / TCM: Each time I have this procedure, I ask to have a different aspect of myself treated (from physical injury to overall fatigue). When treated for fatigue, the effects are great as the energy channels funnel throughout my entire body. The Nervous System is felt throughout the body and fatigue aggravates it for me on both subtle and physical levels. It can be activated and uncomfortable during the acupuncture session at first but I’m left with a calming effect later.