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Insomnia

“Do More in 2024” for Your Health & Your Future

At last, the new year is upon us. Will we live our best lives and manifest our fullest potential? What we do with all that potential, is always up to us.

One way to hone in on our resolutions, our health and wellness goals is to try something new, like acupuncture. Although acupuncture is technically anything but “new” being over 3,000 year old system of medicine originating from China, it may be a new experience for you.

Acupuncture is truly an excellent treatment approach for many ailments for several reasons. First, there are no side effects to acupuncture like there are with medications or surgery. Second, it is actually a very pleasant experience for most people, as most patients fall asleep during their session, and it is considered non-invasive. Third, it can treat multiple health concerns at the same time. Many times a patient will come in for their chronic pain, for example, and also see lasting improvements with their lifelong anxiety or insomnia, digestive issues or migraines. It even helps couples get pregnant who are struggling to start a family, or help with menopausal concerns and reproductive health.

Anything you would consider taking a pill for, you could try acupuncture.

With the New Year, many folks even use acupuncture to quit smoking, or use acupuncture to lose weight.

At Cloud 9 Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine, we take an integrative approach looking at many ways to naturally support your health and wellness, utilizing acupuncture, electro-stim, ATP Resonance BioTherapyTM, O3 Regenerative TherapyTM, and custom nutritional support.

While we specialize in complex, chronic conditions that are difficult to treat such as neuropathy, autoimmune conditions, infertility, migraines, and women’s health, we do treat many other conditions (and all ages) as well.

Interested in seeing what acupuncture can do for you?

Call 410-847-4766 to begin with a consultation with Dr. Laura Parks, our medical director who has over 13 years experience using acupuncture to change lives.

The Best Way to Find the Best Acupuncture Clinic for You

Whether you’re suffering from low back pain, or neuropathy, infertility or headaches, you’ll want to find the best acupuncture clinic that suits your needs the best.

The very best way is to call and speak with the receptionist of your clinic of interest and ask them if they have experience in or specialize in your primary condition you are seeking care for. While most acupuncturists have trained extensively for 3-5 years in graduate level study acupuncture programs, and receive a Master’s degree or a Doctorate (also known as a Acupuncture Physician), it’s still best to work with an acupuncturist or clinic that has experienced success in treating your condition.

 

Some questions you can ask when you phone a prospective acupuncture clinic:

Has the acupuncturist treated my type of condition before?

What is the success rate of treating my condition at this clinic?

How many years of experience does the acupuncturist have?

Do you offer any additional therapies beyond acupuncture to help address my condition?

What can I expect during my first visit? (Is it just a consultation, or will I receive treatment that day?)

 

Most of our patients are referred by word of mouth, from former patients who have also experienced success. Our acupuncturist Dr. Laura Parks does specialize in chronic, complex conditions and has been practicing for over 13 years. She received her acupuncture doctorate from Five Branches University, and acupuncture masters from Maryland University of Integrative Health (formerly Tai Sophia). Dr. Parks has been treating Fertility patients for over 13 years and specializing in neuropathy for over 4 years, with over a 85% success rate.

Becoming Resilient to Stress

I once had to write an essay on the book, “Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers” by Robert Sapolsky and I can summarize it to this day… The sympathetic nervous system elicits the “fight or flight” response. A third response is to freeze in place.

Modern humans often freeze in place, stall. Usually, we do not fight others or run (flight) like zebras run away from lions, but we just sit or stand in place, doing the same exact thing physically we were doing prior to the stress trigger. The cortisol elevates with the stressor, the adrenaline surges… and we sit (or stand) in place instead of using that fuel to launch into a sprint away from a predator (lion, tiger or bear, oh my!) 

Zebras have no choice. They run or they die, or they run and die. Either way, they really must run. In turn, their bodies burn off the adrenaline surge and other stress hormones. This is why they do not get ulcers. 

However, humans do get ulcers,  because their ancient wiring “fight or flight” response designed to keep them alive during times of war with neighboring tribes, or being hunted by predators, simply goes off at very inopportune times… like when we’re stuck in traffic, or getting flack from our boss, or a friend phones with bad news … goes off, constantly, daily, sometimes multiple times per hour. This creates a cascade effect with the nervous system, the neuro-endocrine hormones and creates inflammation, extra body fat, cardiovascular disease, digestive disorders, anxiety, panic attacks, headaches, autoimmune disease, insomnia, and more. Everyone responds to stress differently.

Most people respond very well to acupuncture because it brings the nervous system and endocrine system into balance. Over time, with regular acupuncture treatment, patients become less triggered by stress as the “fight or flight” response becomes much more self-regulated.

 

New Therapy BrainTapTM

Acupuncture & Insomnia

Often, patients begin to notice insomnia creeping in at the change of the seasons, especially as we move into springtime. With the added sunlight and the sun setting later in the day, our bodies and minds feel invigorated after a long and arduous winter. For some, the mind “just won’t turn off at bedtime,” for others, the thoughts from the day are set on “rinse and repeat.” 

Further still, some are physically restless and simply do not feel tired, until it gets so late past bedtime that they are exhausted and yet, some still cannot sleep. Of course, lest we forget our moms with young children who also suffer sleeplessness, passing their insomnia on to their parents by proxy. Pain also is a large factor of sleep disturbance, which is treated swiftly by acupuncture by reducing chronic pain. 

The good news is, Acupuncture Can Help. Regular acupuncture treatment helps to regulate the neuro-endocrine system, balancing the nervous system, cortisol levels and hormones. Many of our patients can attest to acupuncture also reducing anxiety and stress levels, contributing to a better nights sleep. Cloud 9 has a signature Insomnia Treatment Program to solve your insomnia once and for all. Begin with a Consultation. 

410-847-4766 Directions Contact/Schedule