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Sleeping disorders

Insufficient sleep is unhealthy. Sleeping disorders (insomnia) can lead to severe illnesses if the causes are left untreated. If the body does not get enough sleep its aging process accelerates, and organ functions can be impaired in the long term. Sleeping disorders may cause disorders of the mental and physical equilibrium, and vice versa.

Recognising causal chains

Sleeping disorders generally do not occur in isolation. People affected by these usually have other symptoms simultaneously. That’s why it is difficult to recognise the causal chains of sleeping disorders.

It is reasonable to seek medical consultation if the following symptoms occur frequently and in tandem:

  • Persistent or recurring digestive issues (in particular diarrhoea, constipation) and gastrointestinal issues (bloating, discomfort)
  • Allergies and intolerances
  • Fatigue and lethargy
  • Loss of concentration and physical exhaustion
  • Head and back pain
  • Vertigo and circulatory issues
  • Diseases of the kidneys, urinary tract and bladder
  • Regular rise in stomach acid (heartburn)
  • Throat inflammations and difficulties swallowing
  • “Flu-like” infections or feverish colds throughout the year
  • Protracted or recurring joint inflammations (and/or inflammations of the nasal mucosa)

Possible causes of sleeping disorders

There is often a correlation between the causes of the symptoms listed above and sleeping disorders. An examination and treatment geared toward causes is thus invaluable. External impairments caused by the environment or personal behaviour can largely only be altered by the individual. These include disruptions to sleep caused by heat and stuffy bedrooms, excessive eating late in the evening, excessive consumption of caffeine and alcohol, and others.

Fever, after-effects of surgery, pain, ingestion of strong medications/antibiotics may be the cause of acute sleeping issues. These can be specifically treated with individual measures, especially if the causes of the acute sleeping issues are apparent. Modern Western medicine has means of treating this.

People affected by sleeping disorders often list worry, stress and mental problems as the reasons for their sleeping issues. Eastern and Western medicine agree. However, many people undergoing stress also have no problems sleeping. Even in extreme situations such as wartime, stress does not necessarily cause sleeping disorders.

TCM pays somewhat greater consideration than modern Western medicine to organ function disorders potentially playing a role in sleeping disorders. For example, TCM textbooks show that a spleen and kidneys that function in a good and balanced manner are highly significant for falling asleep and sleeping through the night.

Sleeping disorders were classified in TCM accordingly. Imbalance manifests as fullness (“too much”) and/or deficiency (“too little”). In the language of TCM, “too much” is referred to as “heat” or “fire”, affecting the heart and liver. A deficiency of yin in the heart, kidneys and gallbladder, and splenic blood deficiency indicate “too little” for the organs to function in a balanced way.

However, the relationship between sleeping disorders and digestive disorders is not properly identified by traditional Chinese medicine or modern Western medicine. Because if one analyses the treatment instructions of TCM for organ disorders, one learns that sleeping disorders have physical pre-existing illnesses with connections that lie in the metabolism and digestive system.

It is known in modern Western medicine that infections are significantly involved in these disorders. Unfortunately it is not common for this knowledge to be considered in medical diagnoses and treatment.

Insight from modern Western medicine and TCM must be consolidated in order to properly interpret these correlations. Normamed’s cause-based medicine provides the foundation for this, further develops the medicine of both cultures and thus creates new possibilities for diagnosis and treatment.

Digestion, organ function, metabolism and infections

It is crucial to note that infections may have already damaged the body in ways noticeable and unnoticeable over a long period of time. This can often occur as a result of unnoticed infections.

Disease-causing yeasts such as Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis and other pathogenic Candida species, parasites like protozoa and worms can impair organ functions in the long term.

They severely irritate the digestive system and overwhelm the immune system without it being immediately detectable. Bacterial infections like Helicobacter pylori can severely jeopardise one’s health when left untreated, and lead to symptoms beyond the common ones described in the literature.

There are negative interactions between digestion, metabolism, organ functions and microorganisms. Pathogenic, i.e. disease-causing, bacteria are usually responsible for these interactions. New Studies clearly show this.

Normamed cause-based medicine

Because of these relationships the Normamed cause detection for sleeping disorders is based on the following three pillars:

  • Digestion
  • Organ and metabolic functions
  • Multiple infections and miscolonisation

Normamed’s fiduciary physician clarifies possible bodily causes of sleeping disorders based on Normamed’s diagnosis standards. The specially developed diagnosis method follows a standardised procedure. Clearly defined quality guidelines are observed within specified inspection parameters.

The valuable and proven measures of modern Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) are combined in order to clarify the correlations between infections, digestive/organ/metabolic disorders, immune system disorders and sleeping disorders.

Information from infectiological examinations are taken from microbiology, imaging measures such as ultrasounds, and pulse and tongue diagnostics from TCM and combined into a cause-based medical method. This independent branch of medicine opens up new diagnostic and treatment possibilities, resulting in new ways to treat sleeping disorders burnout in areas where modern Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine are unable or barely able to find solutions.