Expert: Heather Vandeburg L.Ac M.S.O.M. dipl.Ac - 12/28/2007

Question
QUESTION: Hello Heather,

I hope you've had a wonderful Xmas time,

I've been treating my SP 9 with moxas and the pain at this point are much lower.
Could you tell me trough which point or part of the body dampness is used to go in and in which circumstances( bathing, swimming,...)?
I've been victim of moral harassment several times in my professional life, one experience even ending with a 6/8 burn out. I'd like to know if you already treated people who lived that kind of experience and what meridians were the most affected ? In my experience it seems that Spleen pancreas and Kidney have been seriously unbalanced.As I'm fragile from the Lung, it was damaged as well ( sensitive to cold and wind).
Thank you
Pascal

ANSWER: Hi Pascal,
I am sorry to hear about your situation. I am not familiar with a 6/8 burn out can you elaborate. Dampness can come from diet and environmental situation like your mentioned. sitting in clothes that are damp or in a damp climate.  I think the Spleen is most effected by damp. The Stomach and Kidneys can also be effected. Do you have someone work on you or do you work on yourself. You definitely should have a colleague work on you.

Good luck and Happy New Year,
Heather Vandeburg LAc MSOM

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello Heather,

Thank you for your answer. I don't know how they call it in the states, here we call a "burn out"  a kind of "emotionnal exhaustion". 6/8 is just a rate according to a special test they use to do at " la clinique du stress" situated at Brussels' University ( they mainly treat emotional traumas due to professional stress),6/8  simply means it was a severe one. Hopefully I recovered quite well eversince that experience. Shiatsu, meditation and acupuncture helped me very well, I also met a psychotherapist during a long period. I finished a 3 years cycle in Shiatsu but we only started to study diagnosis last september, so my colleagues and me don't have a so long experience. It's the reason why I ask to a more experienced therapist. I don't find anything in the standard books TCM about moral harassment, burn out, ptsd and that kind of pathology. My wish is to help the people victims of such events.So I have to study and experiment,  I'm sure that oriental medicine can help.If you have any link, experience or document about it, that 's welcome...
I'm going to have an acupuncture session as you advised me, it's more comofortable than to work on myself, and it's always good to have another person's diagnosis.
Thank you
Happy 2008 !

Pascal

Answer
Hi Pascal,
Happy New Year,
Thank you for the clarification.  We do have burn out here.  In fact, lots of acupuncturist experience it if they are not careful.  We tend to give too much Qi to our patients and work too much and then we get burned out. Nothing as extreme as your situation.  I always attribute things like PTSD to shen disturbance and a few other things.  The kidneys are traumatized by extreme fear or fright. The liver is damaged by anger and can cause irritability.  I have treated a couple of severe cases of PTSD in both I treated the liver, the kidneys, the heart and the shen.

I am glad you are going to have acupuncture.

Check out www.acupuncture.com they have some good articles.

Good Luck,
Heather Vandeburg LAc MSOM