Acupuncture for Insomnia
The largest study of acupuncture and insomnia to date found acupuncture to be more effective than orthodox sleeping medications at improving your sleep and relieving insomnia. The researchers also found that combining acupuncture with medication was more beneficial than medication alone. Acupuncture plus herbs also improved sleep better than herbs alone.
This study (meta-analysis) included 46 randomized trials and 3811 patients. It was published The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.
The bottom line:
The most common solution your doctor will offer for insomnia is sleeping pills. Unfortunately the sleeping pills are addictive and their effect diminishes with time. Furthermore, sleeping pills don’t give you quality sleep and have a sedative effect, which may affect your performance during the day as well as driving.
Acupuncture offers a superior alternative to sleeping medications. Acupuncture does not have the side effects of the sleeping pills and it is more effective in the treatment of insomnia.
If it works for anxiety then it is should be aggressively advertised to provide the much needed alternative to mind altering and habit forming drugs with plenty of side effects.