Insomnia: a Symptom of Imbalance

One of the problems with the western approach to sleep disorders is that traditional pharmaceuticals attempt to treat the symptoms and not the underlying cause of the imbalances responsible for insomnia. This is also true for any other symptom, disease or disorder. The correct way to treat a particular disorder is to determine the underlying causes and treat the patient at that level along with the symptoms. In Chinese medicine this is called treating the root and the branch of a disease.

Insomnia is often seen as just one symptom in a multiple number of Chinese disease patterns. Disease patterns are rooted in disharmony at the organ level of the body. Chinese medicine seeks to correct imbalances at this level. Typically, sleep disorders are related to imbalances with the Heart organ. However, other organs can cause an underlying Heart imbalance. There are five systems primarily responsible for keeping the Heart healthy: Kidneys, Gallbladder, Small Intestine, Endocrine system and Spleen. For example stress affecting the Liver can prevent the smooth flow of Qi or energy in the Heart preventing patients from sleeping. A prolonged Kidney imbalance drains the Heart since these two organs share an important energetic level in the body. The Small Intestine is the paired organ with the Heart and is prone to becoming toxic, which then disturbs the Heart. The Gallbladder is an organ that is easily affected by specific foods. When we eat foods that upset the Gallbladder, it will also create imbalance in the Heart. In Chinese medicine the Spleen has an important function of producing quality blood. When this function is depleted it affects the Heart. The endocrine system represents a complex system of inter-relating organs that are responsible for balanced hormones in the body. When this system is out of balance it affects all the organs in the body, including the Heart. Once a patient’s underlying constitution is determined the correct treatment can be used to restore health, wellness and good sleep.

Meridian Harmonics