Emotional stress plays a huge role in our health. Often, a particular event may disturb the mind and creates insomnia. Acupuncture works so well to calm the mind! I absolutely love it. Over the years, I have seen first hand the amazing effect it has on patients. Check out the following case study and let me know what you think 🙂

Keep rocking it with TCM!

Clara
TCM Geek

PS: Have you seen my Chinese Medicine Treatments Made Easy book yet? It covers over 160 syndromes treatments using acupuncture points, herbal formulas, ear points, diet and more!

 

Case Study

Female: 31 yrs old

  • Chief complaint: Insomnia with constant fear and easily startled
  • History: 6 months ago, the patient’s house had been burglarized in the middle of the night when she was sleeping; no physical arm was done to her. Since then, she has insomnia with dream disturbed sleep, wakes up many times from midnight to 3 am. Whenever she hears a noise, she gets palpitations and jumpy; she also feels like someone is following her where ever she goes.
  • Other symptoms: temporal headaches, vertigo with nausea, her menses are regular, shoulder tension all the time (Trapezius area), sweats easily during the day especially when she feels scared, very fatigued.
  • On observation: the patient is quite shy, has a difficult time answering questions and deciding if she has the symptoms asked.
  • Tongue: pale tongue with greasy coat.
  • Pulse: wiry (left middle position), slippery (middle right position), weak overall.

Cause

 Emotional Stress affecting the Heart Mind & creating Paranoia. 

TCM Diagnosis

 HT Qi def., Phlegm in GB impairing Qi flow.

Symptoms differentiation
  • Insomnia (HT mind – Shen is disturbed due to emotional trauma), dream disturbed sleep (HT & GB) & waking up around Midnight & 3 am (GB & LV time).
  • Palpitations (HT), Jumpy (HT & GB), Feels like someone follows her (Paranoia – Phlegm in GB).
  • Temporal headaches & tight shoulders (GB meridian is blocked).
  • Vertigo with nausea (Phlegm in GB).
  • Sweats easily during the day (HT Qi Def.), Fatigued (Qi def.).
  • Can’t make decision and she’s shy (GB).
  • Wiry (left middle position): Qi stagnation (LV & GB), slippery (middle right position): Phlegm, weak overall (Qi def.)
  • Tongue: Pale (Qi def.), greasy coat (Phlegm).
Tx principles

 Tonify HT Qi, Move LV & Gb Qi, Transform Phlegm and calm the mind.

Acupuncture points
  • HT 7, Ear Shen Men, Yin Tang to calm the mind.
  • Gb 34 (Move GB Qi), LV 3 (move Lv Qi).
  • ST 40 to transform Phlegm, Du 24 for vertigo.
  • Gb 40 to relieve temporal headaches, GB 21 for shoulder tension.
  • BL 62 Ghost point to help relieve emotional trauma & help sleep.

18 needles twice/week for 3 weeks, then 1/week (took out Bl 62 & Gb 40 as the headaches stopped). She slept better, vertigo disappeared, but still dreamed, I added GB 35. Then she came every 2 weeks for 3 more sessions. Was more relaxed and less jumpy. Her paranoia subsided and she finally slept without being disturbed by dreams.

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