Acupuncture for Insomnia

[vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_column_text]By: Dr. Vikki Mcguire TCM

What is considered insomnia?

Insomnia is a sleep disorder where an individual has difficulty falling asleep and/or remaining asleep through the night. Upon waking in the night, the person might then have a tough time falling back to sleep. Insomnia can be either acute, which means it’s short-lived and goes away. Acute insomnia might be due to a stressful life event, for example, a student may not be able to sleep the night before an important exam. Chronic insomnia is when a person experiences it a minimum of three nights per week lasting at least three months. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, it could also include sleep that is disrupted by nightmares and dreams.

Most adults need about 7-9 hours of sleep per night and without that people can experience both a physical and mental toll, especially if the insomnia is chronic.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, insomnia can be a symptom of an underlying health issue. Some causes of sleep disorders include:

After a full assessment, a TCM doctor will design a treatment plan to help address your sleep issue. It may include a self-care lifestyle plan, herbal recommendations, nutrition options, acupuncture and cupping treatments.

How can Acupuncture Help with Sleep?

Acupuncture is a treatment where fine needles are placed into certain points in the body that will help to stimulate nerves, muscles, and connective tissues. With regards to sleep directly, acupuncture therapy can help to activate your body's generation of the sleep hormone melatonin and works to  lower overall stress and anxiety by relaxing the body, in turn sending you to sleep easier. Working with the flow of energy in the body, acupuncture can help bring back flow to areas of the body that may be obstructed or are experiencing an imbalance. Many people experience an extremely peaceful sleep immediately after an acupuncture session.

If you're having trouble falling asleep, here are a few pieces of low-hanging fruit that you can reach for to see if they make a difference:

If you’re interested in learning more to find out whether acupuncture could be right for you, please book in with Dr. Vikki Mcguire TCM at Active Sports Therapy.

*This blog is not intended to officially establish a physician-patient relationship, to replace the services of a trained physician, naturopathic doctor, physical therapist or chiropractor or otherwise to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.  [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Sports Medicine Acupuncture

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By: Dr. Vikki McGuire, DTCM

A Sports Medicine Acupuncturist will use many techniques to locate injured tissues in your body. These may include range of motion testing, muscle palpation and testing, orthopedic examinations and more. Some muscle imbalances are assessed through both static and functional movements which can help the practitioner understand the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ the injury occurred. Integrating these methods with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) can diagnose and treat the excess (shi) and deficient (xu) conditions that are related to the injured tissue. In TCM areas of the body are all considered to be connected to a specific organ (zang fu) which might require acupuncture treatment as well.

This new technique which is a combination of Western Sports Medicine and the genius of Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatments can assess and treat:

With a goal of treating the patients issue with a truly integrated perspective, treatments may include more than just acupuncture. Myofascial manipulation and cupping might also be utilized and many clients report experiencing positive results after just one session. If you've experienced a sports injury or a repetitive strain injury this could be a great treatment option for you.

To schedule your appointment with Dr. Vikki McGuire TCM for Sports Medicine Acupuncture please call 403-278-1405 or email mail@activesportstherapy.ca

*This blog is not intended to officially establish a physician-patient relationship, to replace the services of a trained physician, naturopathic doctor, Dr. of TCM, physical therapist or chiropractor or otherwise to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.  

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