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Acupuncture for insomnia and sleep

Computer Caused Insomnia?

Man suffering from insomnia- needs acupunctureComputer Caused Insomnia effects so many people.

So many people suffer from insomnia, or poor sleep quality in America that I’ve written on the topic of sleep several times in the past. We live in a constantly connected, always-on, artificially illuminated world. Our night-time artificial lighting is easily visible from space! That’s a lot of light.

The problem is that artificial illumination is a very recent invention. Our bodies are simply not designed for it. What we are designed for is synchronization with the natural diurnal cycles of light in the day, darkness (or low, red colored lighting- like a campfire) at night. I’ve blogged about how this can be a problem with getting your body synchronized on a regular sleep schedule.

Today I want to share with you some free software that can, to some degree, help with this situation. It’s called “f.lux”. It helps adjust the color of your computer display from cooler colors in the daytime to warmer colors at night. This is helps prevent your body from getting off of a natural sleep cycle. There is more info about f.lux and sleep research at their website.

Here’s the link to download f.lux for your computer.

If you suffer from sleep issues definitely check out my tips for better sleep for some powerful techniques you can use sleep easier and better.

If you’re interested in learning more, simply schedule an appointment. To schedule an appointment call 919-228-8448, or use our online scheduling system.

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Man suffering from insomnia- needs acupuncture

Another Way to Sleep Better

I’ve posted a lot on sleep and how acupuncture for sleep problems. I think quality sleep is crucial for good health. A good night’s rest plays a role in preventing Alzheimer’s Disease, and is crucial for optimal weight loss. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people out there who suffer from insomnia or poor sleep quality.

I’ve offered some tips for better sleep in the past. Here is a new one- get regular exercise. A new study provided evidence that regular exercise helps create better sleep. In addition the study found that participants had more energy during the day.

I also offer great health tips like these in my email newsletter. This is exclusive content for my subscribers that doesn’t make it to my blog. For instance, in my most recent issue I shared a potent combination of foods that slashed breast cancer rate by an astonishing 89% in one study! Subscribing is completely free, and won’t clog your inbox- issues come out at most twice a month. Follow this link to Subscribe to my Newsletter so you won’t miss the next one!

If you’re interested in learning more about acupuncture, simply schedule an appointment at our location in Durham, NC. To schedule an appointment call 919-228-8448, or use our online scheduling system.

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An image of nerves of the nervous system, a posterior view.

Good Sleep Prevents Alzheimer’s

Man suffering from insomnia- needs acupunctureGetting a good night’s sleep is inarguably important for good health. The type of rest we can only get with sufficient restful sleep keeps us alert, energetic, and mentally clear during the day. Earlier this year I blogged about how good sleep helps weight loss.

Now there’s increasing evidence of a link between sleep deprivation and Alzheimer’s disease. The study involved measuring spinal fluid participants for the presence of a protein called “amyloid beta”. Plaques found in the brain of sufferers of Alzheimers disease are composed of mostly amyloid beta, so this is seen as a marker for the disease. The study showed that during prolonged sleep these protein levels dropped, and during prolonged wakefulness the levels rose.

Well over 20 million prescriptions a year are written for habit-forming sleep aids, such as Ambien in America. It’s clear that the problem of sleeplessness is a large one.

If you have not yet read my “tips for falling asleep” article, I encourage you to do so. It includes simple but powerful things you can do to help achieve restful sleep without all of the pitfalls of pharmaceutical sleep aids.

If you’re interested in learning more about acupuncture, simply schedule an appointment at our location in Durham, NC. To schedule an appointment call 919-228-8448, or use our online scheduling system.

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Pomegranate for anti-cancer - illuminating acupuncture theory

Acupuncture for Mental Alertness- The Heart and Shen

Mental Alertness

Have you ever been awake, but just not quite mentally there? Maybe someone noticed you being “spaced out”. It’s not that you were daydreaming so much as “nobody was home”- you weren’t thinking of anything in particular. When this happens it feels like not being fully conscious.

The word we use for what is missing here in the mental state is “shen”. Shen is sometimes loosely translated as “spirit”, but that’s a bit of a loaded word in our culture with it’s religious overtones. A less exciting, but more accurate definition in the context of acupuncture might be “awakeness” or “mental presence”.

The heart is the organ that is said to generate or have dominion over the shen. When sleeping it is said that the shen retires into the heart. What this statement means from a practical standpoint is that when someone is having a hard time finding peaceful sleep it implies that somehow the heart is being energetically disturbed.

Acupuncture treats the body and the mind. I’ve spoken about the body-mind connection in a previous blog post. If you’ve read that post you know that it is actually impossible to treat the mind without the body and vice versa.

If you are experience issues with mental alertness or problems with sleep, you are experiencing an imbalanced shen. Acupuncture may be able to help.

To see if acupuncture might be right for you, give us a call at our Durham location or you may call us at 919-228-8448. If you find it easier to make an appointment online, you can simply click here to use our online schedule to set up a free face-to-face consultation.

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Sleep Helps Weight Loss

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Night time is the time of day when our bodies regenerate. For millenia the Chinese have known the importance of quality sleep in the regeneration of the “yin”, or most substantive aspects of the body. Western medical research is starting to discover what Chinese Medicine has been telling us about the importance of sleep all along.

A recent study of 472 obese adults shows that well rested people loose more weight. This finding is completely unsurprising through the lens of Classical Chinese medical theory.

When the yin aspect of the body is not nourished with sleep the body naturally desires to balance the internal aspects of yin and yang. Sleep deprived people often turn to food as a source of yin in lieu of the yin regenerated through sleep. As you can imagine:

  1. food is a terribly poor substitute for sleep
  2. more food (particularly the high-carb, high-fat foods people crave) leads to more fat and weight gain

If you have not yet read my “tips for falling asleep” article, I encourage you to do so. Without proper sleep you are likely to find meeting your body weight goals to be more of a challenge. Acupuncture and effective sleep habits can make achieving quality sleep possible. Reaching your target weight is hard enough; why make it harder?

To see if acupuncture might be right for you, give us a call at our Durham location or you may call us at 919-228-8448. If you find it easier to make an appointment online, you can simply click here to use our online schedule to set up a free face-to-face consultation.

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Insomnia: What to Avoid Before Bedtime

Insomnia – What to Avoid Before Bedtime

Man suffering from insomnia- needs acupunctureAvoid insomnia for many reasons! I’ve written on the topic of sleep before, including some tips for sleep and insomnia before. There are many things that can be done to deal with insomnia besides medication. Acupuncture can make a huge difference in your ability to fall asleep when it is time for bed and it can help you achieve truly restful quality sleep without drugs or herbs.

Acupuncture is just one technique of many available for dealing with insomnia. When you are lying in bed, wide awake at 3 A.M., it is a small consolation that you can make an appointment tomorrow, or the next day for acupuncture. You want to sleep that very night!

Don’t Bring Technology to Bed

A recent Bank of America consumer trends report found that roughly 71% of survey respondents sleep with their smartphones and 23% actually fall asleep with their tech tool in their hand. It’s time to break free from the dependence and reclaim your bed.

Don’t Drink Coffee

A cup of coffee contains anywhere from 80 to 120 milligrams of caffeine per cup, and you probably already know you should avoid it right before bed. Even though you might like the idea of a hot drink after dinner, did you know that although bedtime might still be several hours away, this could disturb your sleep. Why? Because caffeine can stay in the body for up to 12 hours.

Don’t Eat Spicy or Fatty Foods

You should have dinner at least two hours before going to sleep to give your body enough time to begin digesting it. If you’re used to eating something right before bed, stick with sleep-promoting foods like simple carbs or a glass of milk but stay away from spicy food.

Oh, and do go ahead and make that acupuncture appointment or set up a free face-to-face consultation. Sleep does not need to be hard to come by.

To see if acupuncture might be right for you, give us a call at our Durham location or you may call us at 919-228-8448. If you find it easier to make an appointment online, you can simply click here to use our online schedule to set up a free face-to-face consultation.

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Food for Energy

Food for Energy

A neat blog I follow bodyhacker recently blogged about 7 Foods for an Energy Boost. Being married to Melissa, The Avocado Queen I am a huge fan of food, so I took particular interest in that post. I don’t always agree with what I read on bodyhacker (this article being no exception), but like many of their articles, it does provide “food for thought”, so to speak.

In this bodyhacker post, in particular, I take exception to the number of fruits on the list. Fruits have lots of simple sugars (fructose mostly- as in “high fructose corn syrup”), which can lead to an energy crash after eating them. It is true that most fruits compensate in the body through their high fiber content. Still, I wonder if there aren’t other sources of these energy boosting vitamins and minerals that don’t contain so much fructose and might be better candidates for this list.

For vitamin C sources I suggest bell peppers, broccoli, brussel sprouts, and cabbage. For potassium consider spinach and mushrooms. For dietary fiber, how about dark leafy greens, broccoli, and cabbage?

Details aside, it is easy to forget how much our food effects our health. From our energy to our skin to our mood to our stress levels to our sleep, we are deeply affected by our food.

Eat well, folks! Use food for energy.

To see if acupuncture might be right for you, give us a call at our Durham location or you may call us at 919-228-8448. If you find it easier to make an appointment online, you can simply click here to use our online schedule to set up a free face-to-face consultation.

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