APRIL 15, 2011 BEING READY....FOR SLEEP

"The best way to prepare for any moment in the future is to be fully conscious in the present."

I do not know if anyone could be prepared for any moment in the future. I was not prepared when my mother died in 1982. I had no inkling that she was ill. I was prepared for my father's death as I was fully conscious in the present at that time. I was returning from graduating the Integrative Medicine Fellowship in Arizona. I left knowing he was very ill, but he did say, "I will be there when you return." He was, yet for only 1 more day. To be fully conscious in the present is knowing who you are, and what your goals and aspirations are. I am reminded of this today, as a close friend/patient/'family member' passed on who always reminded me of my dad. I will miss you, Daniel.

At this time in my life I am prepared for the future. I live each day to the fullest as if it were my last day on Earth. I say good morning to G.O.D. and thank G.O.D. for another day as it ends. (I also say good morning to Gracie, my Amazon Green Parrot every morning.) I reflect on the whole day as it ends. I ask myself if I harmed anyone unknowingly and do I owe anybody an amend or apology. I am prepared for the future. As much as this might sound morbid, I am prepared now if my life were to end. I have lived. I had aspired to be the man I always wanted to be. I have met most, not all of my dreams. I am ready.

Who doesn't want to be ready for a good nights sleep. Adequate quality sleep is just as important and vital to good health, emotional balance and long long longevity. Some people can fall asleep anywhere. I am NOT one of those individuals. I never sleep on a plane even if it is the Red Eye from the west coast to east coast. Some people have trouble falling asleep. Some people have trouble staying asleep. Sleep disorder is classified either as dyssomnias as insomnia, excessive sleeping and narcolepsy.

I want to focus on the most common which is INSOMNIA. There is acute and chronic. The acute form is from one night to a few weeks usually resulting from a stressful situation. I have had those. Have you had any episodes of acute insomnia? The chronic condition can be a result of emotional or medical issues such as chronic pain, anxiety or depression. My chronic insomnia can be traced to my medical residency days when we were required to stay up for 36-72 hours without ANY sleep. A wink here or there. Some chronic insomnia can be due to excessive alcohol, cocaine, caffeine, and other stimulants. If you ever had an addiction this can result in chronic insomnia. I can relate to that also in a distant past. Can you relate to that type of chronic insomnia?

I have read about Yin and Yang insomnia. I didn't know such types existed. This is why I read, research, study and relate. In the Yin type, the patient is exhausted and often pale. It is usually those individuals with no energy. These are the patients with chronic fatigue syndrome due to Epstein Barr Virus (the cause of mononucleosis). I have used the nervines and adaptogenic herbs for this type of insomnia.

For the Yang insomnia, this is an excessive person. This is the type A personality. I also call this individual the Type G or giver. This is the irritable, restless, or agitated person. I am the Type A or Type G with years of therapy, twelve step meetings and sponsorship NOT resulting in agitation and irritability. I still use nervines but personally I do so well with the herb, Passion Flower. I have seen others use Hops, California Poppy and Valerian. I personally have some problems with valerian. Valerian makes me a bit agitated. I have seen that in other patients as well. For those who do not want to take conventional sleep agents like ambien, halcion, or klonepin I recommend herbal treatment.

I also have had great success with a Homeopathic remedy that I use almost every night. It is by HEEL called Neurexan. It is available at http://www.longevitynutritionals.com/ It is a homeopathic using Avena sativa, Passiflora incarnata, and Zincum valerianicum.

I started with 2 sublingual tabs but it is so much better with 4 sub-lingual tabs every night.

Until tomorrow...