The Treatment of Insomnia with Oriental Medicine

Well-Being

Chief Complaint: Insomnia

Steve is a about 40 years old male who had been ill with insomnia for many years. He used to sleep only 2 or 3 hours a day and after getting awake, he could not fall asleep any more. He feels tiredness, coldness in the limbs and a feeling of insect creeping under his skin. Also he has three bowel movements a day with the first one occurring just half an hour after getting up in the morning. He told me that when insomnia was somewhat improved after treatment, the appetite would become poor, while when the insomnia got worse, appetite turned to improved. He has tried different therapeutic approaches, and after acupuncture, the feeling of insect creeping under skin was relieved. Warmth at guanyuan brings comfort to him.
The tongue is pale with teethmarks and the fur is whitish and moist.

Pulse is weak, slippery and rapid.

Diagnosis: Kidney yang floating

Treatment Principle: Tonify the kidney yang and induce the floating yang back to its origin

Herbal Prescription:
* Jiao Tai Wan with modification
* Acupuncture at KI3, RN 4, RN 6, LR 3
* Moxibustion at Guanyuan or Shenque
* avoid eating raw or cold food
* rubbing the lower abdomen at home

Analysis: This case is a typical case of kidney yang deficiency. But compared with other types of kidney yang deficiency, this type is marked by yang floating. Yang floating type is usually more severe a case than the ordinary kidney yang deficiency and is more difficult to treat. So this case has lasted a long time. Excessive appetite comes from excessive floating yang in the upper part, and insomnia results of up-floating yang disturbing the spirit. As a result of yang deficiency, there is coldness in the limbs, pale tongue with teeth marks. As a result the floating yang is induced back to the kidney, the appetite will become poor while insomnia is improved. And when the yang qi floats again, the appetite is improved while insomnia becomes worse. The feeling of insect creeping in the skin is another typical manifestations of yang deficiency. Since yang qi is in charge of moving other yin liquid, when yang qi is deficient, it will have not enough strength too move, so there is itching feeling.

Courtesy of:
Yubin Lu, TCMD, Ph.D.
AAAOM Faculty/Student Clinic
1313 Fifth Street SE Suite 115
Minneapolis, MN 55414
Tel: (612) 379-3865
Fax: (612) 379-3590
E-mail: TCMHEALTH@aol.com
Website: WWW.AAAOM.ORG

Last modified: September 6, 2009  Tags: ,  В·  Posted in: Well-Being