We often tell ourselves that nerves prior to a performance are normal.
However, sometimes anxious feelings can have a negative effect.
Whether it’s in a business or day to day life, if we’re too anxious , it can set us back from our goals.
However, a new study seeking to combat anxiety in competitive athletes proves acupuncture can be effective.
The Research
As part of a trial by researchers at Tehran University of Medical Sciences, 45 teenage athletes were split into three groups: acupuncture, sham acupuncture and wait-list control.
Each participant completed an anxiety questionnaire and had their heart rate monitored before and after treatment.
The results show that acupuncture had a significant effect on cognitive and somatic anxiety.
Cognitive refers to the processes that happens in a person’s brain from worry or stress, that manifest in a mental capacity.
Somatic anxiety is more like “butterflies in the tummy”type feelings.
Together they are ‘competitive anxiety’ and this definition is usually applied to athletes.
The Result
The results of this study are positive.
Researchers found that acupuncture before competition “was associated with decreased levels of both components of competitive anxiety (somatic and cognitive).
They conclude that “acupuncture is effective in modifying the physiological changes associated with skin conductance and heart rate.
“This helps adolescents to decrease their anxiety prior to competition.”
This outlines the effectiveness of acupuncture in lowering the anxiety of adolescents in high-pressure situations.
However it’s an indicator of how acupuncture can be applied to other lifestyles where performance anxiety is common.
David L. Edwards is an author, Chinese medicine physician and acupuncturist. He is the author of The Body Fat Formula and The Pocketbook guide to Chinese medicine. David is the director of Barefoot Health and Wellness health programs.
If you got value from this article, share it with your friends on Facebook by clicking the share button so they too get access to this important information.
Leave a Reply