Issue link: https://www.balharbourdigital.com/i/468853
"We are looking for a pattern of disharmony." Once that pattern is found, both Ask and Reising advise taking an herbal supplement (in tea, tincture or pill form) in addition to undergoing acupuncture. "If you look at the traditional yin/yang of Chinese medicine, herbs are the inside out, which is the yin, and acupuncture is the outside in, which is the yang. When those two meet, it's healing," explains Ask. However, herbs and acupuncture will only be as effective as the patient's willingness to make lifestyle changes to accompany the treatment. Insomnia issues are often the result of some type of excess—which can be stress-related, but also from drinking too much or not eating well. "You have to participate in your healing," says Reising, who suggests patients seeking treatment for insomnia have acupuncture once a week. "If you're having trouble sleeping but want to have a coffee at 8 p.m. or drink six beers before bed every night, I cannot help you. Acupuncture will not help unless you stop drinking or cut back. It is all within reason." "I want my patients to take responsibility for their lives," says Ask, who advises patients to meditate in addition to making healthier lifestyle choices. "It's your life and your decisions day by day in terms of the excess choices that you may or may not make. But those choices are very important. To go to somebody to fix you all the time is as much a Band-Aid as taking a drug." Many are turning to acupuncture to treat insomnia—an ailment that effects 40 percent of Americans— including a handful of celebrities. 120 BAL HARBOUR PHOTO COURTESY OF ALEXANDER STRAULINO, TRUNK ARCHIVE