Treating Insomnia with Holistic Medicine
One of the most common complaints seen in most health clinics by practitioners and doctors of all kinds is sleeplessness. Insomnia is a condition that can negatively affect our well being on many levels if it is not treated right away, as it can turn into a chronic problem. If you have only experienced restlessness randomly a few times in your life you might not be as aware of the health implications it has on your body the way a person who has suffered from it for weeks, months or years.
Unfortunately, many of the pharmaceutical drugs used for insomnia have side effects that can be quite dangerous. This makes holistic health options for insomnia a very attractive alternative for those who do not want to use pharmaceuticals as a first line of treatment, and also for those that have experienced bad side effects from the pharmaceuticals and no longer want to depend on them as the only option for better quality sleep.
Here at Life Qi Holistic Medicine, we have many services that positively impact one’s sleep. Sleeplessness can have many causes at its root, so depending on the root cause the recommended combination of modalities and results may vary. It is a good idea to first set up an appointment with one of our acupuncturists to get a full assessment so we can come up with a Chinese medicine diagnosis to inform us of what the cause may be in order to create an appropriate treatment plan and to recommend the best modalities in your case.
Acupuncture, aromatherapy, Chinese herbs, cupping, ear seeds and massage are all potentially beneficial treatment options for insomnia, in my experience. As clinicians, we get to hear from our clients and patients how these modalities have helped them through times when they are trying to function and be productive while being sleep deprived. Once we get to the root cause and make progress, it is not uncommon to quickly hear how symptoms can quickly start to disappear.
Some of the benefits for insomnia received from these modalities include: clearer thinking, better memory, mood enhancement, increased energy, greater desire for sex, improved immunity, no nodding off in the day or need for naps, and less bags under the eyes with all around better skin complexion. And this is only a short list of things that can improve with better quality sleep. In fact, it is not uncommon for new acupuncture patients to first comment on how acupuncture impacted their sleep in a positive way. It is not uncommon for patients to say, “I slept like a baby for a couple days after my first treatment” or “I don’t think I have slept straight through the night without waking for years until the night of my first acupuncture session!”