Stressors of either type are good for us as long as we have an effective way to deal with and resolve them appropriately.

Frequent distress can cause health problems. Due to the structure and function of the nervous system, we are predisposed to have a "fight or flight" response to stressful situations. The problem with this is in modern times, neither fighting nor running away is generally appropriate. Because we cannot generally act according to our prior programming, situations where the stress continues to accumulate can lead to states of chronic disease.

One example is the chronic overstimulation and subsequent depletion of the adrenal system. Chronic overstimulation can be aggravated by other health factors such as being overweight, excessive caffeine or alcohol intake, poor dietary habits or the lack of appropriate exercise. When some or all of these factors occur, stress and anxiety may occur.

The good news is that making relatively small lifestyle changes can yield a positive result for those who suffer from chronic stress. Simple solutions may include talking to a friend or professional counselor, starting a stretching program, meditation or prayer, aerobic exercise or resistance training.

More comprehensive solutions may include significant lifestyle changes such as a change of employer or career, returning to school for additional training or professional counseling.

In Chinese medicine, the treatment of stress usually involves treatment of the heart, liver or gall bladder organ systems and meridian pathways. The theory involves the reduction of energy of the liver and gall bladder organ systems, as these are thought to be where stress manifests in the body. The heart meridian, or energy pathway, generally has energy added to it to calm stress responses such as palpitation and depression.

Because the theory of Chinese medicine treats the whole person in addition to the main problem, a practitioner may treat other organ systems with a combination of acupuncture, herbal medicine and acupressure massage.

It is important for a patient to receive diagnosis by a qualified Chinese medicine practitioner. An inaccurate diagnosis can result in an incorrect acupuncture treatment or the wrong herbal formula.

This kind of error can actually increase the number of problems that the patient is experiencing.