Chapter 7 - Regeneration

more accuracy and more endurance all the way through my very last patient of the day.

Sleep is a huge challenge for a the type II diabetic due to several common influences – pain, stress, restlessness, frequent nighttime urination (especially for diabetics), waking early and not being able to fall back asleep again, worries, emotional distress, fear, anger and the list goes on. Also of major consideration are heavy meals, poor food combining, caffeine use and both prescription and over the counter drugs.

As a chiropractor, of course, one of the most frequent causes of sleep loss that I see is chronic pain, a fairly easy symptom to address. This holds true whether the complaint is low back pain, neck pain, hip pain, knee pain, thumb pain or even jaw pain. It’s an on-going cycle of stress creating increased blood sugar – high blood sugar increasing existing pain levels – pain causing on-going sleep loss and sleep loss causing more stress. An effective point at which to break this cycle is to address the pain in a natural way by eliminating its cause.

So if pain is a major influence that’s keeping you awake, my very first recommendation would be to find a well-qualified chiropractor. An easy way to find a well-qualified one is to go on-line to www.activator.com, click on “certified doctors” and look for an “advanced proficiency rated” doctor of chiropractic near you. This may not be an infallible method of finding a good chiropractor, but it’s a good place to start. It’s a way to determine that the doctor has met at least a minimum standard of advanced, post-license training.

White willow bark is a natural anti-pain supplement as is Noni, a tropical fruit, both available at most health food stores. Antiinflammatory foods include artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, cherries, cinnamon, and grapefruit. Typically, reducing inflammation reduces pain as well.

Some of the things I recommend to my patients when they still complain of sleep challenges after other avenues have fallen short include chamomile tea, valerian, either in capsule or tea form, lobelia

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