Treat yourself to acupuncture treatment to help relieve holiday stress!
The festive season is upon us. It’s a time to make merry – at least that’s what is depicted in the media. But for many people, there is a different reality to the festivities. The holiday season may be a source of stress.
Lack of exercise, poor eating habits, family obligations, financial constraints, reduced sleep, and hectic schedules all contribute to stress. Here at Centre of Balance Hamilton, we understand that holiday pressures can take their toll on your health. This may present as mild stress, through to depression and anxiety. This is why we offer acupuncture treatment as an holistic treatment method to restore balance to mind and body.
Anxiety
Mild anxiety due to new situations and challenges in our daily lives is a normal healthy response. The busy holiday season can be tiring and it’s normal to have a little anxiety. This may become an issue when anxiety occurs excessively or randomly. It may manifest as panic attacks, shortness of breath, insomnia, nausea, or a psychological discomfort. So how can you enjoy your vacation and family time when all these symptoms are wearing you down? Practitioners at Centre of Balance may be able to help through acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).
According to TCM, anxiety can be traced to imbalances in the kidneys and heart. These two organs maintain a yin and yang relationship. The heart is upward and fiery (Yang) and the kidney is inward, contemplative, and fluid (Yin). If the ‘fire’ is too much, the patient exhibits agitation and anxiety. Acupuncture and TCM aim to restore this balance by stimulating the body’s healing properties. The treatment aims to promote the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of the patient. Specifically, needling increases blood circulation, calms the nervous system, stimulates a discharge of endorphins and boosts the immune system.
If for any reason you’re not into needling, we have another method to relax your nerves and promote your wellbeing. Cupping is a TCM technique which involves placing suction cups on acupoints resulting in a ‘deep tissue massage.’ It increases blood circulation and eliminates lactic acid and metabolic waste, whose accumulation is associated with stress.
Depression
Depression is a fairly common condition. Over 20% of the population exhibits symptoms of depression at one time in their lives. During holiday festivities, depression may manifest itself through overindulgence in alcohol/food, crying spells, cynicism towards the holiday period, digestive complaints, emotional instability, or even musculoskeletal pain. Just as with anxiety, TCM may be used to treat depression.
In acupuncture and TCM, the liver facilitates the free flow of Qi (energy). When this function is hindered, an imbalance or Qi stagnation occurs – i.e. limited availability of resources. Based on this explanation, acupuncture ‘moves’ the stagnation/depressed energy leading to the individual’s wellbeing.
Happy Holidays from the Centre of Balance team!
As you set out to celebrate the festive season with your loved ones, don’t let anxiety and depression spoil the mood. Just visit our Centre of Balance in Hamilton or contact our team for advice. And remember, ‘acupuncture for stress’ is not exclusive to holidays – you can seek the treatment any time of the year. Experience More Energy, and Less Stress & Pain today.
I am originally from Hebei province in China. I hold a NZ bachelor’s degree of health and science with a major in acupuncture. I am honoured to be an acupuncturist at Centre of Balance. Helping patients to alleviate their pain brings me the greatest joy. Chinese medicine emphasises the unity of human beings and nature. During the treatment, I hope to not only relieve your pain but also help you to understand the principles behind acupuncture’s effectiveness, as well as the significant impact of diet, emotions, lifestyle habits, and living environments on disease recovery. Self-healing is an ability that our bodies are naturally endowed with.
I studied acupuncture in New Zealand and completed one and a half years of supervised clinical internship before graduating. In the early stage of my training, I mainly worked with patients experiencing neck, shoulder, and lower back pain. Under the guidance of senior clinical tutors, I gradually developed hands-on experience and confidence in treating musculoskeletal pain conditions. As my clinical exposure expanded, I began treating a wider range of internal conditions. Alongside traditional acupuncture, I was introduced to Umbilical Acupuncture and Tungs-acupuncture Points. What interested me most about these approaches is that they often do not require needling directly at the painful area, yet can still achieve very effective results. I was especially inspired by observing my supervisor use Umbilical Acupuncture to treat common conditions such as insomnia, menstrual irregularities, and even rheumatoid arthritis, with very positive outcomes. Another supervisor was highly skilled in Tungs-acupuncture Points and achieved excellent results in treating pain, infertility, menstrual disorders, and a variety of women’s health conditions. After completing my studies and entering clinical practice, once I observed Dr. Szenan Phua using Tungs-acupuncture points to help cancer patients relieve pain, which further strengthened my trust in this treatment method. I later completed training in Dr. Tan Balance Acupuncture, which had a strong influence on the way I approach treatment. One of the most noticeable features of this method is how quickly patients often feel improvement, especially with pain conditions. Dr. Szenan Phua’s New Balance Acupuncture combines meridian regulation with structural adjustment and internal organ balancing, including techniques such as pulse balancing and spinal adjustment. From my clinical experience, pain is rarely just a local issue. It often involves underlying organ weakness or structural imbalance. When these aspects are addressed together, treatment can be more thorough and longer-lasting. I also apply this approach to internal conditions, particularly in fertility and women’s health. This includes supporting natural conception, IVF preparation and embryo transfer, pregnancy support, early-pregnancy nausea, and late-pregnancy labour induction. I combine these treatments with concepts learned from a few additional fertility training, which has given me a broader and more flexible clinical perspective. This has reinforced my belief that acupuncture should be adapted to each individual rather than applied through fixed formulas. Two other areas of study that have been very helpful in my clinical work are Tongue Diagnosis and Dr. Zhu’s Scalp Acupuncture. Although tongue diagnosis is taught in my standard Chinese medicine training, further study allowed me to deepen and refine my diagnostic skills. My first formal training was in Li’s Tongue Diagnosis, which looks not only at organ patterns, but also at how different areas of the tongue reflect the body’s structure. This system also explores personality traits and changes during pregnancy, making it both clinically useful and engaging. I later attended online lectures on Yin’s Tongue Diagnosis and studied the related materials independently. this learning has helped me make clearer and more accurate pattern differentiation, allowing my acupuncture treatments to be more targeted. It covers a wide range of conditions, including skin disorders, oncology-related presentations, mental health patterns, and joint or limb problems. In practice, tongue observation often provides valuable insight even before a patient begins describing their symptoms. In addition to the methods above, I regularly use local bloodletting techniques, which can be very effective for improving circulation, reducing swelling, and relieving pain. I also incorporate auricular (ear) acupressure and stimulation, which I commonly use for allergies, insomnia, headaches, stress management, and various internal conditions. In my clinical work, I value taking the time to listen carefully to each patient and to understand their overall health, lifestyle, and concerns. Based on each individual’s condition, I also provide personalised dietary guidance and lifestyle or wellness advice to support overall health and long-term wellbeing. I commonly support patients with musculoskeletal pain, such as neck, shoulder, knee, and back pain, as well as stress-related conditions, sleep issues, migraines, digestive concerns, and women’s health and fertility-related conditions.
Mild anxiety due to new situations and challenges in our daily lives is a normal healthy response. The busy holiday season can be tiring and it’s normal to have a little anxiety. This may become an issue when anxiety occurs excessively or randomly. It may manifest as panic attacks, shortness of breath, insomnia, nausea, or a psychological discomfort. So how can you enjoy your vacation and family time when all these symptoms are wearing you down? Practitioners at Centre of Balance may be able to help through acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).
According to TCM, anxiety can be traced to imbalances in the kidneys and heart. These two organs maintain a yin and yang relationship. The heart is upward and fiery (Yang) and the kidney is inward, contemplative, and fluid (Yin). If the ‘fire’ is too much, the patient exhibits agitation and anxiety. Acupuncture and TCM aim to restore this balance by stimulating the body’s healing properties. The treatment aims to promote the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of the patient. Specifically, needling increases blood circulation, calms the nervous system, stimulates a discharge of endorphins and boosts the immune system.
If for any reason you’re not into needling, we have another method to relax your nerves and promote your wellbeing. Cupping is a TCM technique which involves placing suction cups on acupoints resulting in a ‘deep tissue massage.’ It increases blood circulation and eliminates lactic acid and metabolic waste, whose accumulation is associated with stress.
Depression is a fairly common condition. Over 20% of the population exhibits symptoms of depression at one time in their lives. During holiday festivities, depression may manifest itself through overindulgence in alcohol/food, crying spells, cynicism towards the holiday period, digestive complaints, emotional instability, or even musculoskeletal pain. Just as with anxiety, TCM may be used to treat depression.
In acupuncture and TCM, the liver facilitates the free flow of Qi (energy). When this function is hindered, an imbalance or Qi stagnation occurs – i.e. limited availability of resources. Based on this explanation, acupuncture ‘moves’ the stagnation/depressed energy leading to the individual’s wellbeing.
