AboutR. Scott Malone L.Ac. Expertise I can answer questions on Acupuncture and Chinese medicine.
I specialize in women's issues, mental-emotional issues and headache.
Experience I have been in practice for 10 years.
Organizations I am certified and state liscensed.
Education/Credentials Graduated from the T'ai Institute of Oriental Medicine with certificates in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine.
Question QUESTION: Hi. My 7 year old daughter is having some problems. She is very emotional about the loss of her grandfather 4 years ago (they were very close). She worries about death TOO much. I have taken her to several alternative practitioners but nobody has helped. I just recently took her to an acupuncturist who stated that she has an unusual amount of "heat" for a 7 year old. Can you please help me understand what that means and the possible causes for "heat". My daughter gets very red faced when she runs and plays or is just out in the heat. She looks like she has blush on all the time. Also, she tends to lack patience. She will "go off" out of the blue. Do you have any insight on what might be going on? The acupuncturist is treating her with some type of electrical stimulation (no needles). She also wanted her to take some herbs but I am not very comfortable with my child taking chinese herbs. Thanks so much in advance for your help.
ANSWER: Hi Lisa,
Without a proper intake, it is hard for me to say for certain, but here is my opinion.
Children are in the Wood aspect of life, which is a yang, active, growing phase. The lack of patience and volitile temperment leads me to believe that the heat is in the liver. Liver is a Wood organ.
Grief belongs to the element of Metal which contains the organ channels of lung and large intestine. From a mental/emotional standpoint, the large intestine is about the ability to let go of something. It wouldn't surprise me if she has constipation as well. My guess would be that there is an imbalance between metal and wood. A stagnation in metal causing a stagnation in wood.
Children do very well with Chinese herbs, I treat my 3 year old son with them whenever he needs them, to great effect.
In five element theory, it is understood that the body is the substance of the mind. This means that when there is an imbalance in the body it can effect the mind and vice versa.
In this case, your child's grief is imbalancing the body which in turn is imbalancing another emotion.
Lg 7 is a great point to release grief.
Lv 2 or 3 would be good for releasing anger.
P6 is a great point for calming as well.
Herbs would be a big help in this situation, particularly
Xiao Yao San with appropriate additions to ease the lung and large intestine.
You are on the right track and in the right place, this is something that we deal with on a semi-regular basis.
Feel free to call upon me in the future,
R. Scott Malone L.Ac.
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QUESTION: Thank you so much. Yes, she is constipated as well. She really has a hard time. One other thing I forgot to mention is her abdomen "sticks out". She appears to be very bloated. She is an otherwise slim child but the thing you really notice when you look at her (especially in a bathing suit) is her belly. Could this also be because of the problems you mentioned?
Thanks again for your opinions and your promptness. We will continue her treatments and I will mention the points to the acupuncturist that we would like to include. Again, thanks so much.
Answer Hey Lisa,
Yup, abdominal distension can also be a liver issue.
I would recommend having your daugter take the herbs as well to speed up her recovery. Sometimes it's hard to get kids to take them, but it's very effective if they can.
