You Can Rely on Acupuncture for the Treatment of Your Insomnia

Treating insomnia with acupuncture surely makes a lot of sense if you are into natural modes of treatment that do not involve the use of any pharmaceutical medications. Occasionally, several practitioners also use herbal remedies along with acupuncture treatment.

Deriving its potency through filiform needles, acupuncture is not a painful type of treatment people scared of needles imagine it to be. The needle insertion might cause a tingling, discomforting, or numbing sensation but when the effect of the treatment kicks in, the patient usually dozes off the rest of the procedure due to the extreme relaxing effect that the treatment causes which is a very good thing for people who are uptight or suffering from severe stress.

One very important thing to understand if you are considering getting acupuncture treatment is your need to be treated by a qualified, experienced and accredited acupuncturist in order to avoid any accidents, injuries or infections that often happens under the hands of unqualified practitioners.

How Acupuncture for Insomnia Works in Vancouver

Insomnia treatment using acupuncture is a very old Chinese healing practice dating back as far as 4,000 years ago. The Chinese studied and worked with it to raise it into a highly complex and polished practice that it is today. Acupuncture is a part of an ancient medical codex known as traditional Chinese medicine or TCM. With modalities such as acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, Tui Na, or Chinese massage, and food therapy, TCM is a mainstream form of treatment that hundreds of millions of people depend on to get well or maintain their health all over the world.

How acupuncture actually works is traditionally explained through the principle of vital energy or Qi or Chi which flows all over the body via a network of Qi channels known as meridians. When the circulation of Qi in the body is uninterrupted and constant, the person experiences good health; conversely, when Qi flow stagnates and is blocked pain and sickness occurs. Blocked Qi causes an imbalance causing symptoms. The type and location of the blockage determines the organs and organ systems that become affected.

One very good way to restore health and unblock the circulation of qi is through acupuncture. Acupuncture needles are inserted into the meridians where qi has been blocked or stagnated. The human body possesses around 2000 meridian points on the surface of the skin. For insomnia sufferers there may be dozens of meridian points that may be affected although this may depend on your body type, general health, and the kind of sleep problems you have.

Being a treatment that is specifically designed for a patient, acupuncture is a highly customized healing practice and so what the acupuncturist needs to do is to fully evaluate the patient. His symptoms also need to be taken into account. It is important for the practitioner to, for example, determine if the patient suffers from initial, terminal, or middle insomnia, and how he/she feels physically and mentally. The practitioner may also need to determine the lifestyle and diet of the patient as well as observe the patient’s tongue.

In the treatment of insomnia, the acupuncturist helps bring about a balancing effect in the patient’s body and mind. You don’t have to be thoroughly knowledgeable on how and why acupuncture works in order to derive its benefits. All you have to do is try it out and see if it really works for you.

The truth is, Western medicine’s understanding of acupuncture somewhat ignores the theory of the blockage and stagnation of Qi, and instead concentrates on the release of beneficial pain-blocking hormones such as endorphins and other hormones that calm the central nervous system. Regardless of the explanations that try to explain the workings of this very useful form of treatment, the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment for insomnia is undeniable.

Experiencing Acupuncture Treatment for Insomnia

A profound sense of relaxation is often felt when the needles are inserted into the skin. This kind of experience is felt by patients regardless of the condition they are being treated for. As the needles go into the skin, the patient suddenly feels an overwhelming sense of calm that is seldom felt except in times of bliss and happiness.

There are occasions when the patient may experience a warmth radiating through parts of his/her body that previously felt painful or stiff.

These all prove that acupuncture indeed can affect the body and mind systems as well as prove its effectiveness towards the treatment of insomnia.

Is acupuncture for insomnia treatment right for you?

Acupuncture for insomnia is most effective when you are not suffering from severe sleep anxiety. This is because sleeplessness caused by high anxiety sometimes can be deeply ingrained in the brain that the only way to overcome it is through intense cognitive therapy.

The cycle of sleep anxiety is an endless loop that is self-perpetuating and usually gets more severe as various forms of treatment are tried out only to find out that they all won’t work for you. If you are faced with this kind of problem, the first step to treatment is to deal with this problem first. If you don’t, no other form of treatment will be able to resolve your insomnia; after you have learned to properly manage your thought process that’s the time to try out body-centered or holistic natural forms of therapy for your insomnia.

You can use acupuncture for almost all other forms of insomnia, especially if your sleep problem is due to certain circadian rhythm disturbances such as a jet lag.

Moreover, as an all-natural all body treatment, acupuncture is a perfect form of treatment for sleep problems caused by allergy or pain.

Feeling tired and wired are clear signs for trying out acupuncture for the treatment of insomnia. If your nervous system is overexcited, it is a big indication that your energy system is not balanced and this you will know when you have fast heart rate, when your thoughts and racing, and when you are fatigued. This kind of condition can be effectively addressed with acupuncture.

Searching for a Good Acupuncturist

Depending on the place where you live, looking for an experienced and well-trained acupuncturist can be a difficult task to do. One easy way to find one is through referrals from your doctor, neighbors, coworkers, relatives, and friends.

One can also ask referrals from holistic professionals such as a naturopathic doctor, chiropractor, or a massage therapist. Chances are high that they know a good acupuncturist for your insomnia.

If that’s not possible, you may get in touch with associations that acupuncturists belong to. You can go to the Acupuncture Today website and get a listing of the organizations by state.

Since acufinder.com had recently teamed up with the American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine you can go the acufinder.com website to search for referrals.

Lastly, you may just respond to an ad and call the acupuncturist who placed an ad online or on a website. To make the most of your time, be sure to phone call more than one and prepare a list of questions so you may properly evaluate each of them through the phone. After you have found prospective practitioners, you can then do a web search to derive more information such as patient reviews, experience, and educational background and accreditations of those practitioners.

Sometimes the online reviews in favor of the acupuncturists may not all be that reliable, you can sift through the false information and be able to decide if the acupuncturist is a good practitioner or not.