acuforwell - July 13th, 2006

Insomnia is an ailment where the affected person suffers from lack of proper rest or sleep. Normally, an individual affected with insomnia would show the symptoms of not being able to fall asleep easily, having troubled and uncomfortable sleep, incomplete sleep or a non-refreshing sleep. It may be initiated due to a lot of factors such as stress, anxiety, excessive alcohol consumption or irregular or improper time schedules. Insomnia may be short termed, where the disorder lasts only for a few days, intermittent, where the ailment comes and goes in differing intervals or chronic, which is generally long lasting and may last for as long as a month or more. Chronic insomnia can again be either primary or secondary. Secondary chronic insomnia is caused due to other health or external factors.

Insomnia, if left untreated can become the route cause of other health and psychological problems. Hence, care must be taken to treat it in an efficient manner as soon as it is diagnosed. The fast-spreading treatment of Acupuncture is now proved to fight against insomnia too, by bringing about a balance in the nervous system. On an average, the success rate of acupuncture against insomnia is found to be 90 percent.

The treatment is carried out by piercing acupuncture pins on specific points on the human body. The points may vary depending on the patient and in this case, according to the Traditional Chinese Medicine’s (TCM) theory, the points must communicate with the heart and kidney. The extrapoint and HT7 point, known as Anmien and Shenmen respectively are the usual acupuncture points for treatment of insomnia.

Acupuncture has been gradually gaining popularity all over the world since the last few years and has become one of the most successful forms of treatments among the alternative medicines. Nowadays, due to its high success rate, many people have started demanding acupuncture treatments and advice from their local doctors and practitioners. A number of acupuncture schools have been set up all over the United States recently and are growing continuously at a high rate. The Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM) and the Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (CCAOM), which were founded in 1982, accredit them. Till date, there are about 50 schools, which have received such accreditation. The first step in training to be an acupuncturist would be to learn a complete course on acupuncture and its methods from one of the reputed acupuncture institutes.

Information about the right techniques for an acupuncture treatment is one of the most important lessons to be learnt while training to be an acupuncturist. An acupuncturist must discuss the history of the problem with every patient and must analyze and verify its causes and plan the method of treatment accordingly, before every session, after complete and proper physical examination. The right acupuncture points must be selected and it must be ensured that the needles are well sterilized and inserted on that point at a proper depth. The duration for which the needles remain inserted inside the points must also be decided with care. Other acupuncture related treatments such as electrical stimulation, laser therapy and moxibustion must also be mastered.

It is important that experts in the field supervise the work of a trainee before he/she starts practicing acupuncture on patients. With the right knowledge and keen interest, one can train to be a good acupuncturist.