Lidocaine injection of auricular points in the treatment of insomnia.

By combining knowledge in modern medicine and traditional Chinese medicine, auricular points were selected for treatment of insomnia. Instead of the placement of needles, injection of small amounts of Lidocaine into these sites was employed. Fifteen out of 16 patients obtained substantial improvement and one patient received moderate improvement. The therapeutic effect was maintained three months after the end of the treatment series. The physiological and clinical implications of this study in terms of modern medicine and traditional Chinese medicine are also discussed.