Proper treatment of infections and organ dysfunctions can also lead to restful sleep. This is because chronic sleep disorders are often associated with infections and organ dysfunctions, which are not always reflected in digestive disorders, but frequently are.
This is shown by a Normamed meta-analysis. It evaluates two observational studies and subsequent monitoring of the treatment of patients with chronic sleep disorders. The results are new to many physicians and patients, and probably to the cost-bearers as well. Can sleeping pills, sedatives, digestive aids and pain pills often actually be dispensed with? Are long suffering histories of chronic diseases often avoidable?
The Normamed meta-analysis summarizes the results of two studies and one treatment monitoring on causes of chronic sleep disorders as follows:
166 patients were examined in parallel by general medical, laboratory, microbiological, and traditional Chinese medical diagnostics. Digestive disorders were found in 92 percent of the patients, organ dysfunctions in 70 percent, and infections and mixed infections in 79 percent.
Subsequently, the patients were treated for these infections and organ dysfunctions. Monitoring of treatment success confirms the studies‘ assumptions that infections and organ dysfunctions are often causative factors for sleep disorders. It is also interesting to note that treatment by integrated root cause medicine resulted in good to excellent improvements in sleep especially when patients cooperated well. (Eighty-seven percent of 90 patients with high compliance showed good to very good improvements in sleep).
The Normamed meta-analysis explains how sleep disorders can arise from a causal medical point of view.
Infections, especially with pathogenic yeasts (e.g. of the Candida species) and bacteria (e.g. Helicobacter pylori), or even parasites can be part of the causal chain of sleep disorders if undetected or untreated. This is because such infections cause an overload of the immune system and permanently damage the spleen. This, in turn, can lead to kidney dysfunctions and impaired liver performance.
Interactions of organ dysfunctions and infections often become visible through digestive disorders. Often only symptoms are treated (for example by sleeping pills, painkillers or sedatives and digestive aids) due to ignorance of the causes. Especially the easily available sleeping pills quickly suggest improvement. But the sleep that ensues is usually not restful. The impacts of self-medication can also have significant side effects and consequences. Complaints can become chronic. Sleep disorders can be compounded by psychological effects (up to and including depression).
Like permanent digestive disorders, chronic sleep disorders are an indication that the above-mentioned interactions have been active as physical processes for a long time. In this case, sleep that is not restful has an effect on the performance of the organs. This favors immune deficiencies and susceptibility to renewed or further infections.
The good news is: The cycle of causes of action and interactions can be identified through comprehensive diagnostics and treated with integrative medical measures. The bad news is that many physicians do not know how to do this.
Against this backdrop, the Normamed metanalysis brings together three perspectives: an observational study of modern Western specialty medicine, an observational study of traditional Chinese medicine, and the results of coordinated treatment by a medicine that integrates the two.
Diagnostics by general medical, immunological and microbiological laboratory medicine methods were performed in the MVZ Ärztehaus Mitte in Berlin by the specialist for immunology and laboratory medicine Dr. Sebastian Pfeiffer.
Diagnostics of complementary medicine were performed at the Wang-Xie practice for traditional Chinese medicine Berlin, under the direction of Bei Wang, senior physician (Shanghai) and alternative practitioner.
The coordination of the treatments as well as the monitoring of the treatment successes in the MVZ and in the TCM practice was carried out by the Normamed service and the MVZ Ärztehaus Mitte team.
The „Apotheke im Regierungsviertel“ Berlin was also available to advise patients on the individual adaptation of herbal TCM prescriptions.
To ensure the best possible participation of the patients, they were accompanied to the MVZ by the Normamed service, which coordinated diagnostics and treatment in the medical center and TCM practice.
According to Normamed meta-analysis, there is a clear diagnostic starting point for the treatment of cause of chronic sleep disorders: 92 percent of the 166 patients examined had digestive complaints, 79 percent had infections and 70 percent had organ dysfunction. In 77 percent of the patients with sleep disorders, the status of digestive complaints was striking to severe.
Infections with pathogenic yeasts were found in 70 percent of patients, infections with Helicobacter pylori in 24 percent, and mixed infections in 17 percent.
Observations from sonographic examinations revealed that 45 patients (27 percent) had visible liver dysfunctions and 33 (20 percent) had renal dysfunctions.
In addition to laboratory analysis and sonography, the same patients were examined at their own request by history, sight, pulse diagnosis and tongue diagnosis in the TCM practice.
In detail, the meta-analysis shows the following picture. It was found that: there were dysfunctions of kidney (in 95 percent of patients), liver (in 58 percent), spleen (in 42 percent) and heart (23 percent). In combination, weaknesses were observed in kidney and liver (27 percent), kidney and spleen (20 percent), kidney and heart (ten percent); kidney, spleen and liver (18 percent), kidney, liver and heart (ten percent) and kidney, spleen and heart (two percent).
The subsequent treatment was carried out at the request of the patients by combining specialist and complementary medical therapy for the purpose of causal treatment of the gastrointestinal disorders. The therapy’s success was also monitored and the collected data evaluated with the patients‘ consent.
For the purpose of metabolic stabilization and organ strengthening, the treatment of infections with antibiotics was supported by taking Chinese herbs and teas. Patients were given dietary recommendations for a limited period of time to support the effectiveness of the medication. Causative treatment included infection-related spleen overload and subsequently kidney overload (spleen-kidney yin weakness), as well as digestive disorders and other organ dysfunction (liver and heart).
The results summarized by the Normamed meta-analysis of the diagnosis and therapy of sleep disorders through the treatment of infections and organ dysfunctions might surprise many doctors and patients. Perhaps the beginning of a new medical orientation is arising here. There is certainly a need for further studies on such a connection but the Normamed metanalysis definitely underlines the possibility of considerable lasting improvements in sleep, and it shows further possibilities of physical well-being, if the experiences of modern western medicine are combined with those of traditional Chinese medicine. However, both need additional knowledge to be effective as integrative medicine.
TCM has known about sleep disorders for many centuries and has fine gradations in their treatment. But not knowing the exact effects of infection-related digestive disorders, TCM often remains as helpless as modern Western medicine. Infection-related organ dysfunctions have intense effects on the immune system as well as on kidneys and spleen, and subsequently on kidney chi and kidney yin. The interactions specifically show the necessity to include the experience of modern microbiology, especially also mycology.
Therefore, in the view of the Normamed meta-analysis, it is necessary to integrate these findings into medical care and to document and evaluate the results of appropriate use on a larger scale. According to the Normamed recommendation, the health care system should take these new findings into account and create suitable billing bases for them. Last but not least, a confirmation of the correlations shown by the Normamed meta-analysis in the future would also have implications for the training of medical professionals. The neglect of pathogenic fungi and their interactions with other infections and with organ dysfunction and overload of not just an already weakened immune system carries a high medical risk. The Normamed meta-analysis leads to the conclusion that much can be done preventively to prevent sleep and digestive disorders from becoming symptoms of chronic diseases.
