Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Help Sleep Disorders
Many people who have trouble falling asleep reach for
over-the-counter or prescription drugs to help them feel
drowsy. Yet if used more than just occasionally, such pills
can be habit-forming or have side effects. That's why
National University of Health Sciences urges natural drug-free
alternatives, such as acupuncture and oriental medicine, for those
having trouble sleeping.
Many people don't think of acupuncture as a way to deal with
their sleeping problems. Yet actually, acupuncture and traditional
Chinese herbs can offer help for those with insomnia, especially in
cases where other treatments may have failed.
Sleep experts say that most adults need between seven and nine
hours of sleep every night. If we don't get the sleep we
need, it can affect our health and safety. Lack of sleep has been
linked to obesity and high blood pressure, depression, decreased
productivity, and safety risks at work and home, and behind the
wheel."
Oriental medicine, recognizes different types of insomnia. There
are those who have difficulty falling asleep, those who have
trouble staying asleep, and cases where a person wakes up at the
same time every night. Each patient is unique, so there is no one
herb or one acupuncture point that will work for everyone. We treat
each of these cases differently.
This is one reason why an oriental
medicine practitioner will make a thorough diagnosis of each
individual patient to detect the exact nature of the energy and
organ system imbalance causing the sleep trouble. Once a
diagnosis is made, acupuncture and special formulas containing
traditional Chinese herbs are recommended based on the patient's
unique health profile.
One common traditional Chinese herbal remedy we recommend for
many cases of sleep trouble is jujube seed tea. While the
jujube is a dried fruit commonly found in Asian markets, the tea is
made from the roasted and ground seed of the fruit.
The NUHS university clinic often treats many of its own graduate
students who live on campus and might be having trouble sleeping
during stressful examination times. They are often surprised at how
well acupuncture and herbal medicine works.
For more information on acupuncture and oriental medicine, or to
make an appointment to treat an existing sleep problem, call the NUHS Whole Health
Center in Lombard at 630-629-9664.
