GOOD MEDICINE
By Dr. Hyun K. Lee
Quitting any addiction is usually a pretty daunting thought. It is automatically assumed that it’s going to
be a difficult journey, but when it revolves around an element that’s vital to everyone’s life, it seems even harder.
As far as addictions, it’s not the first that comes to mind, but addictions to sleep medicine are common, and people can be dependent on them for decades. Kicking the habit usually entails side effects like sleeping problems, anxiety, fear, headaches, nausea, dizziness, and depression, but quitting with the aid of Korean Constitutional Medicine can help you eliminate your addiction and all the side effects in about a week.
Sleeping problems can originate in a variety of ways inside the body, but the end result is always the
same — the lack of oxygen and nutrition to the brain.
The heart is usually the culprit for this, though the reasons vary per person. Your heart is like an engine,
and it “overheats” when it is overtaxed. It can overheat due to general stress, stress from the liver, and stress from the lungs. Whenever the heart is not doing its job, there is a lack of oxygen and nutrients to the brain, which results in sleep problems.
When a person has stress, the liver overworks itself and “overheats.” The liver is not able to provide enough blood support for the heart, which creates stress on the heart that results in the lack of support to the brain.
If imbalanced lung energy is at fault, it’s because lung energy, which is a cooling energy, has been weakened for some reason and is no longer able to “cool off” the overheating heart enough to balance its function. The imbalanced heart function again causes a lack of brain support.
Having low chi is also a common cause of lack of brain support, as all of the essentials are not being circulated upwards to the brain. Discovering where the problem originates — if it’s in the liver, the lungs, or low chi — is the key to rebalancing the body. Once the stress is taken off the organs, your heart is able to function happily again. Oxygen and nutrient delivery to the brain is replenished, and your sleep patterns are thus restored. Both acupuncture and herbs assist this process and also eliminate the side effects that come with removing your dependency.
Wherever your addiction lies, acupuncture and herbs are usually very helpful tools in beating the habit.
Whatever road to non-dependency you take, it’s important to keep trying and find the avenue that’s right for you. Always have faith that success will be yours!
Dr. Lee’s office is located at 175 McMurray Road, Suite G, Buellton. Dr. Lee also has offices in Los Angeles and Paso Robles. To make an appointment, call (805) 693-5162 or (310) 666-8021.
