¹Başkent University Medical Faculty, Physiology Department, Acupuncture Therapy Unit, Ankara, Turkey
²Hacettepe University Medical Faculty, Physiology Department, Ankara, Turkey
³Başkent University Faculty of Education, Psychological Counseling and Guidance Department, Ankara, Türkiye
⁴Başkent University Faculty of Health Sciences, Nursing and Health Care Department, Ankara, Turkey DOI : 10.12991/201216408 Stress factors impair physiological and psychological balance state of the individuals. This situation can cause various diseases. Today, diseases caused by stress are treated with methods like educational program for coping with stress, psychotherapy, drug therapy. Recently, acupuncture treatment is added to these methods. Acupuncture treatment effects to modulate various neurophysiologic mechanisms in during resistance period of stress. This mechanism provides support for the person's psychological state. Acupuncture treatment increases the secretion of hormones such as endomorphine, beta endorphine, enkephalin, serotonin and cortisol from central nervous system. Stress factors increase endomorphin, beta endorphin, enkephalin, serotonin and oxytocin levels in the central nervous system and plasma in the resistance period to stress. Acupuncture applications increase the synthesis and release of endomorphin, beta endorphin, enkephalin, serotonin and oxytocin from the central nervous system which strengthens the individual's resistance period to cope with stress. Therefore, method of acupuncture is also used in the treatment of diseases caused by stress. Keywords : stress, acupuncture, beta endorphin, enkephalin, serotonin, oxytocin