Lawrence Leung

摘要

According to the theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine (CM), insomnia results from a deficiency of qi in the meridians of the Kidney, Spleen, and the Gall Bladder. Insomnia is commonly diagnosed as a Yin deficiency but occasionally can be a result of an excess of Yang of the Liver and Heart. Finally, normal sleep depends upon the mutual toning between the Kidney and Heart, and, when their interactions are disrupted, insomnia results.In my clinical practice, I find acupuncture very useful as a complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatment for insomnia. For most patients, I select the following acupoints: Shenmen (H7); Sanyinjiao (SP6); Sishencong (EX-HN1); Baihui (DU20); and Yintang (EX-HN3).I use 0.20 mm X 20 mm needles, which are inserted perpendicularly, except for the head points, which are at 20deg to the skin surface. To enhance the effects, I apply 3 Hz electrostimulation to the paired SP6 and EX-HN1 with DU20.