From a Chinese Medicine point of view sleep and digestion are two of the most important things in regards to your health.
A good nights sleep and smooth digestion can help your body not only stay strong and but also give you the strength to fight off disease. A good night’s sleep allows your body to fully rejuvenate and rest from the prior days work and play. A digestive system that functions properly allows us to get all of the nutrients from our food.
Many of us suffer from sleep problems. Either we cannot fall asleep or we wake up several times during the night. Some of us do not trouble sleeping but we still wake up exhausted. Over time poor sleep quality can contribute to a wide array of physical and emotional issues. These include infertility, anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, weight gain among other problems.
Acupuncture is great for insomnia. Usually after one or two sessions most patients will see an improvement in their sleep quality.
A lot of patients that come into the office also have some sort of digestive issue. Proper digestion and elimination are the keys to good health. Most people have some sort of digestive issue. Constipation, loose stools, nausea, heartburn, IBS, ulcerative colitis and many other issues are becoming more and more prevalent these days.
Acupuncture is great for the treatment of digestion. Many patients come into the clinic complaining of digestive issues and many experience some relief after the first few sessions of acupuncture.
It has been my experience that if a patient comes in with a laundry list of complaints the best place to start is to regulate the patients sleep and digestive system. Often times other symptoms will disappear if sleep and digestion are addressed first. Patients that were having issues with fertility can now become pregnant after their abdominal pain and loose stools are no longer an issue. Other patients no longer suffer from lower back pain after their constipation and bloating has cleared up. Neck pain, upper back tension, and anxiety can disappear after the patient can have restful sleep following years of insomnia.
It may sound simple but sometimes the treatment that seems the most simple can offer the most profound results.
-Enjoy
Photo: 'Sleeping Mushu' - Image courtesy of Iesse - Licensed under Creative Commons http://bit.ly/1nYuDoT
