There is no denying the successes of this treatment of chronic sleep disorders. Observational studies of modern Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) had already raised hopes for advances in the treatment of sleep disorders. Now, monitoring of treatment successes shows that the hopes may be fully realized. After all, the combined causal treatment of gastrointestinal disorders with measures of specialist and complementary medicine led to significant improvements in sleep in a very large number of cases: 76 percent of the 113 patients observed had good to very good results. And, as the treatment monitoring also revealed, social and financial aspects can also play a role – but all in an order.
Two observational studies on causes of chronic sleep disorders were conducted in patients of Ärztehaus Mitte in Berlin from August 2018 to April 2022, after a one-year preparation period:
Investigation of the relationship between sleep disorders, infection-related gastrointestinal diseases, and organ dysfunctions (observational study at Ärztehaus Mitte Berlin, Germany, led by Dr. Sebastian Pfeiffer, Specialist in Immunology and Medical Laboratory) and
Traditional Chinese Medicine’s Diagnostic Observations on Organ Dysfunction in Patients with Sleep Disorders and Infections (Observational study in the Wang-Xie Traditional Chinese Medicine Practice, Berlin, under the direction of Bei Wang, senior physician (Shanghai) and alternative practitioner.
The treatment of the diagnosed clinical pictures (especially in the form of infections, organ dysfunctions, digestive disorders and sleep disorders) was carried out at the request of the patients by combining specialist and complementary medical therapy. The success of the treatments was also monitored at the request and with the consent of the patients.
The observations of the above studies on the causes of sleep disorders had revealed very high percentages of digestive disorders, organ dysfunction, and infections in the 166 patients studied.
For example, infections with pathogenic yeasts were found in 70 percent of patients in the studies, infections with Helicobacter pylori in 24 percent, and mixed infections in 17 percent.
Renal dysfunctions had been observed in 95 percent of patients, and splenic dysfunction in 42 percent. 20 percent had exhibited combined renal-spleen dysfunction. The treatment combination, carried out in the Ärztehaus Mitte in Berlin and in the TCM practice Wang-Xie, Berlin, was designed accordingly.
For example, in order to stabilize the metabolism and strengthen the organs, the treatment of infections with antibiotics was supported by taking Chinese herbs and teas, as well as individual nutritional counseling. Special TCM teas and herbs have been used to treat physical processes that can lead to chronic sleep disorders. These disorders are thus the result of a progressive chain reaction. Causative treatment included infection-related spleen overload and subsequently, kidney overload (spleen-kidney yin weakness), as well as resulting digestive disorders and other organ dysfunctions (liver and heart). These therapies were administered to patients as an alternative to symptom-based treatments (such as sleeping pills) or other interventions of sleep medicine (ranging from assisted breathing to psychotherapies).
Standardized online monitoring and telephone surveys were conducted over a one-year period. Monitoring generally started a week after initiation of treatment, with the first three monitoring sessions at weekly intervals, then fortnightly, then monthly until the end of the sixth month. Before the final monitoring after one year, patients were also called monthly between the sixth and twelfth month and asked about their health and living conditions by telephone on the basis of the questionnaire.
It was shown that success of treatment through integrated root cause medicine depended on continuous patient compliance over a longer period of time. Accordingly, it could be observed: In 90 patients with high compliance, the treatment resulted in good to very good improvements in sleep in 87 percent; in 23 patients with low compliance, only 35 percent showed good to very good improvements.
Monitoring of the treatment’s success confirms the suspicions that chronic sleep disorders may be caused by physical disorders. It shows that their treatment led to an improvement of sleep as well as to an improvement of digestion and overall condition. Thus, the gentle therapy performed becomes an alternative to conventional treatments, which often fail to prevent chronic courses of sleep disorders.
Patient compliance plays a major role in the success of integrated treatments. The reasons for a lack of compliance are often individual and generally complex. However, it could be seen that continuous support of patients during treatment was important. The support of physicians in the coordination of medical and complementary medical measures (as carried out by the Normamed service in the Ärztehaus Mitte) also proved to be an important factor.
However, compliance was hindered by financial reasons: Since health insurance companies sometimes do not cover the costs for treatments of integrated medicine and TCM, these costs were a reason for some patients to discontinue treatments prematurely, although they recognized them as useful and beneficial in principle for their sleep quality and general health. Whenever financial reasons played a role, expenditures were foregone for improvements in the patient’s condition – even if this endangered a sustainable success of the treatment. Here it became apparent that specifications for the provision of health insurance medical care are aimed more at treating symptoms than at treating the cause.
