In previous blogs, I’ve talked about how Acupuncture can help with back pain, migraines and food cravings. Today, I’ll add insomnia to that list.
When you receive an acupuncture treatment, your nervous system begins to calm down. The acupuncture needles are doing deep work by unraveling your subconscious stresses, balancing your Qi, and releasing the causes of your insomnia. You may even fall asleep on the treatment table. I recently found an interesting news story on how Acupuncture has had a very positive impact on one Cancer patient’s struggle with insomnia. The story covers a study that’s been going on for two years now at the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Integrative Medicine, and it shows that the results are very promising so far.
I would also encourage you to take a look at this 2004 study published in The Journal of NeuroPsychiatry, titled Acupuncture Increases Nocturnal Melatonin Secretion and Reduces Insomnia and Anxiety: A Preliminary Report. Along with finding that Acupuncture has a direct effect on the secretion of Melatonin (one of the main hormones that regulates the Circadian Rhythms I mentioned in last week’s blog), it also points out the dangerous side effects of the popular insomnia drugs currently on the market, and concludes that Acupuncture is a much safer alternative:
Traditional treatment strategies for anxious insomnia have emphasized benzodiazepines. The useful anxiolytic effects of these agents have made them the most widely prescribed of all pharmaceuticals.The risks of benzodiazepines, however, are well documented and involve physical as well as psychological effects. These include their potential to promote dependence or acute toxicity in overdose. Other adverse effects include sedation, psychomotor and cognitive impairment, memory loss, potentiation of other CNS depressants, and treatment-emergent depression.Acupuncture, which relies on the release of neurally active agents from endogenous stores, has been shown to have a superior side effect profile compared to some psychoactive drugsand may thus represent a means for addressing the concerns about benzodiazepine therapy.
As you’ve heard me say before, many of my patients find a more complete solution by blending chiropractic, acupuncture and Chinese medicine than by utilizing any one modality alone. If you’re suffering from insomnia, I encourage you to try an integrated Chiropractic and Acupuncture treatment plan.
– Dr. Bart
