This entry is written to inspire practitioners to participate in the upcoming weekend with Dr. Huang Huang.  He will be teaching on pediatrics.  I’ve been studying with Dr. Huang Huang for the last almost 4 years and there are ways my work with him has transformed my practice.  Below is an example from my practice that shows how effective classic formulas and diagnosis by body type can be for children.  I am now in the middle of translating the handouts for the upcoming class with Dr. Huang and am so excited by what I am reading.  It will very much augment the knowledge I already have.  Remember that this 3 day course is being streamed live so you can attend from anywhere in the world!

Last autumn a patient of mine asked if I could take a look at her twin 3 year-olds.  This is often how it happens…a satisfied patient thinks of her children, wondering if there is some way this wonderful medicine could help them.

Case

In this case I had treated the mother long before she had even decided to become pregnant for post radiation dryness and exhaustion.  We worked together through out her pregnancy and postpartum time her son and daughter were 3.  Her son is a big kid, robust with rosy cheeks and wide, bright eyes.  He looks healthy but the mom told me that he had difficulties with anger.  He went from calm to aggressive on a dime, often hitting, kicking or even biting his sister.  He also had a tendency to become phlegmy.

His sister on the other hand is small and fairy-like.  She was hypersensitive to all stimulus and had to have things, like clothes and food, just so.  She tended to walk on her tip-toes and had some subtle repetitive movements.   Her belly was tense with pulsations above the navel and her skin was moist.

I treated both kids with herbs only.  

Diagnosing and treating the boy

Based on body type, I diagnosed the boy as a mixed Chai Hu and Ban Xia type.  I also diagnosed his condition as excessive.  We often think of an excessive condition as one in which there is too much of something.  This is true for me too but, to go a step further, excess conditions are also characterized by some pathway for movement being blocked, whether this is the pores, the bowels, the emotional expression, the urination or more subtle pathways.  Excess means lack of open flow with a pent-up accumulation.  In other words, for this boy, the tendency to

 

have sudden aggressive outbursts was due to his body already feeling pent-up.  It is like a balloon that is filled too full with air.  The slightest touch can pop it.  For this boy, I knew he was not deficient because his body was robust.  I knew the Shao Yang was blocked because of the tendency to anger.  I knew also that he was a Ban Xia type because of his wide expressive eyes and tendency to by phlegmy.  I gave him Chai Hu Shu Gan San with Ban Xia.

Diagnosing and treating the girl

Based on body type, I diagnosed the girl as a Gui Zhi type.   I also diagnosed her as deficient.  Deficiency is not just not enough of something.  As excess is characterized by being blocked in some way, deficiency is characterized by being too open in some way.  This girl was too open on the surface.  Being thin with moist skin and tense belly muscles is characteristic of the Gui Zhi type.  The Gui Zhi type is too open on the surface.  Another way to say this is that there was a Ying/Wei disharmony.  To stay with the balloon analogy, this is like a balloon that is porous so the moist breath leaks out.  Bai Shao is sour and helps create tension on the exterior while Gui Zhi is like adding a puff of breath to the inside of the balloon.  This is harmonizing the Ying and the Wei.  Because of the upward movement of her Qi, characterized by the pulsing above the navel and her tendency to walk on her tip-toes, I gave her Gui Zhi Jia Long Gu Mu Li Tang.

Outcome

Both children responded well to the herbs.  Although the boy still tended to get frustrated relatively easily, his fuse had lengthened to the point at which he was no longer aggressive.  In addition, his phlegm cleared up.  The girl began to walk on her whole foot consistently and became more flexible in her needs.  The parents, who previously would not allow the kids to play closely with each other without very close supervision could now relax and do some things while their kids played near by.

Conclusion

I think the success of this treatment was directly due to my work with Dr. Huang Huang.  When I was in China with him, we observed his work with quite a few children.  Treating according to body type and formula family not only gives good results, it also ensures safety.  Even if you do not specialize in pediatrics, there will be times you will be asked to look at a patient’s child.  The tools you will receive during this weekend with Dr. Huang Huang will be so helpful.  you will learn to identify and treat a variety of common body types.  In addition, you will leave being able to effectively work with the following illnesses based on body type:

  • ADD and ADHD
  • Poor development physically or mentally
  • Chronic and acute ear,nose and throat infections
  • Food allergies
  • Airborne allergies and asthma
  • Behavior issues
  • Tummy aches and appetite problems
  • Sleep issues
  • Strange problems

For more information about the upcoming weekend with Dr. Huang Huang, click here