An 80 year old woman came to our office complaining of chronic insomnia. She had been taking Ambien for 20 years, and it was not working any more. It took her hours to fall asleep each night. She was exhausted and frustrated. This insomnia acupuncture case study describes how acupuncture was able to restore proper sleep without the need for sleeping pills.
Insomnia – The Problem
Insomnia is an all too common sleep problem for adults. The National Institutes of Health recently estimated that 30 percent of the general population struggle with sleep issues, and 10 percent have daytime functional impairment due to their inability to sleep.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine reported, “insomnia is costing the average U.S. worker 11.3 days, or $2,280 in lost productivity every year”. As a nation, the total cost of insomnia-related work absences is a staggering $63.2 billion.
Modern Medicine Treatments For Insomnia
- The most common suggestions your doctor will give you to fight insomnia include:
- Go to bed the same time each night
- Don’t exercise right before bed
- Lower the lights in the evening
- Don’t watch intense TV or read thriller books before bed
- Manage night time anxiety with medications
- Take prescription meds like Ambien, Lunesta or Sonata to help you fall asleep
- Try cognitive behavior therapy to resolve underlying anxiety
Acupuncture – A Natural Effective Alternative
If you have tried these suggestions and come up empty handed, you may want to come in for acupuncture. This was the case with our 80 year old insomnia patient. She had found relief from Ambien for 20 years. But that medication and others like it were not working any more. She did not have significant anxiety in the evening. She had good sleep hygiene. Her doctor, having run out of ideas, suggested she try acupuncture.
Insomnia Acupuncture Case Study
The first thing we did with the patient in this insomnia acupuncture case study was to ask her a series of questions about her sleep, digestion, emotions, family situation and bowel function. We wanted information about her other health conditions as well. Then we felt her pulse and looked at her tongue. Tongue and pulse diagnosis are very important in coming up with a Chinese medicine diagnosis. They reveal important information about the patient’s organ function.
Besides her insomnia, our patient had long-term digestive issues (bloating, constipation, obesity). She often felt hot at night.
She was also taking care of her husband of 55 years, who had emphysema and declining health. Her pulse was “wiry”, which indicated that her body was holding on to a great deal of stress. She did not “feel” stress, but her body was holding stress. This is a fairly common situation for caretakers. Her tongue had a thick, white coat, which reflected her stomach issues, and a red tongue body, which reflected internal heat.
Chinese Medicine Diagnosis and Treatment
Her pattern diagnosis was “insomnia due to liver qi stagnation, spleen qi deficiency with dampness and heart yin deficiency”. This diagnosis reflected an internal imbalance the the patient had probably been living with for as long as she had insomnia, maybe longer.
Many times we harbor internal organ imbalances that manifest as symptoms (like insomnia, bloating or constipation) without ever realizing the root cause of our health problems. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine pride themselves on identifying these root imbalances and focusing treatment on restoring balance.
The treatment plan for our patient in this insomnia acupuncture case study consisted of smoothing the liver, strengthening the spleen, resolving dampness and nourishing heart yin. This may sound strange to the untrained ear, but it was just what the patient needed to overcome her chronic insomnia.
Treatment included specific acupuncture points to smooth liver function (LV3, Li4, BL18), strengthen the spleen (ST36, SP3, BL20), resolve dampness (SP9) and nourish heart yin (HT7, SP6, BL15), to name just a few.
Powerful Results
Within six treatments our patient was already seeing a significant improvement with her sleep. She was falling asleep within 45 minutes, without taking any medication. After another six treatments she was getting to sleep within 20 minutes of going to bed. Her sleep quality during the night was also greatly improved. As a result, her energy was better during the day. Follow up six and twelve months later showed that she had retained these benefits, and her sleep continued to be good.
Next Steps
If you struggle with insomnia, try acupuncture. It is a safe, natural treatment to restore sleep, improve daytime energy and get off of sleep medications. We use sterile, single-use, hair thin needles. Treatments are relaxing and highly effective. Ninety percent of the time we get good results like the ones seen in this insomnia acupuncture case study.
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Don’t Let Sleep Problems Get You Down
If you are intrigued by this insomnia acupuncture case study, book an appointment and come in for treatment. We will identify your specific pattern imbalance at the root of your insomnia and start correcting it with your first treatment.
What our Clients are Saying
Turning to acupuncture was my last resort to battling insomnia. I had been prescribed two heavy sleep aids with no success. After the third appointment, I went from averaging less than 2.5 hours of sleep to over seven, without any sleep aids. I still go and pretty sure I wouldn’t be here today without success from Raleigh Acupuncture.
Raleigh Acupuncture was recommended by a friend after I mentioned my insomnia and dependency on a sleeping pill. My apprehension was short lived because of the results of my visits to Dr. Mark. With acupuncture treatments and Chinese herbs I was able to begin sleeping well and continue to do so. Dr. Mark is a good listener and encourages his patients in all health issues as well as the original purpose for treatment. Consequently, my knees are stronger and I’m walking better and with more confidence. I haven’t had the need for a cortisone shot in a year and a half. Occasionally, I would use a cane and it’s now somewhere gathering dust. Also, I had a persistent headache that my primary physician had no solution for, and after two acupuncture treatments it’s a thing of the past. Hot flashes were another issue that was treated successfully. I am so grateful to have found a knowledgeable and caring person to treat my ailments, many of which I thought would only grow worse as I aged. Generally, I feel healthier.
I would like to thank Raleigh Acupuncture for the wonderful and very helpful treatments. I had been seeing them for my insomnia, which was making excellent progress at the time and has since been cured. On a previous Monday I was involved in a minor traffic accident. Due to the stress of the accident on Tuesday I awoke in a severe flare-up of my fibromyalgia. The pain was so bad I took pain killers and stayed in bed for the day. The following day I had an appointment with Dr. Mark which I wanted to cancel. My husband suggested I keep the appointment and tell Dr. Mark about the pain. After our discussion, he modified the treatment he had planned for me and treated the pain. I came home, took another pain pill and went back to bed. The following morning I woke pain free and have been since, which is about 2 to 3 months. Thanks again Raleigh Acupuncture!
I became a patient of Raleigh Acupuncture in 2007. I did a lot of research prior to selecting them and I never regretted it. Over the years, I have been treated for various conditions – insomnia, an auto-immune disease, a herniated disk, etc. I have recommended Raleigh Acupuncture to various friends and family members.
I highly recommend the practitioners of Raleigh Acupuncture. I’ve seen them for several years and have always recommended them highly and without hesitation to many of my friends, all of whom have been equally thrilled with the care provided. They are genuinely interested in your health and general well-being, with a focus on getting you healed quickly and gently. My hot flashes are GONE! and the Chinese herbs for sleeplessness are awesome too!
I haven’t slept well for 20 years. That all changed when I was treated at Raleigh Acupuncture for my insomnia. They said it would take 12 treatments, so I took a leap of faith and tried it. I saw changes start to happen after just a few treatments. Over the course of three months I was able to sleep better and better. I weaned myself off of Ambien, and am now sleeping like a baby again. I never thought I’d see the day! It really worked. And guess what? I’ve got more energy now. Imagine that – a good night sleep gives you more energy! Rocket science! Thanks guys!
