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Treating Insomnia: Patterns & Formulas in Chinese Medicine Part 2

So again we’re gonna be talking about supporting insomnia or sleep issues with Chinese medicine, and this is part two.

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Disclaimer: The following is an actual transcript. We do our best to make sure the transcript is as accurate as possible, however, it may contain spelling or grammatical errors. Due to the unique language of acupuncture, there will be errors, so we suggest you watch the video while reading the transcript.

Hi, my name is Moshe Heller, and I’m from Moshen Center in New York, as well as the Moshen Herbs company for different herbal formulas. And today I am going to talk about… This is part two of treating, supporting insomnia with Chinese medicine. And I wanted to thank the American Acupuncture Council for letting me speak today about this important subject.

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So I think we can go to the slides. So again we’re gonna be talking about supporting insomnia or sleep issues with Chinese medicine, and this is part two. In part one we talked a little bit about the pathology of in, of sleep but now we’re going to talk about patterns and formulas and how to treat them.

Again, I’m reminding you from the mechanism aspect of pattern differentiation we usually look at blood when we hear about trouble falling asleep. We think about yin when we’re talking about trouble staying asleep. And if we have a lot of restless dream disturbed sleep, we can look at the blood and Hun or blood and actually Shen or heart.

So all this is the different mechanisms that we need to look at so the first imbalance I want to discuss is this heart and kidney disharmony which is usually a representative of this yin vacuity that is not supporting the yang, and then the yang tends to rise up and disturb sleep. This is usually the pattern where it’s might be easier to fall asleep, but then wakes up frequently throughout the night.

If it’s really bad, it might be also difficult to fall asleep, but then again, the waking up at, during the night is the main thing. There could be also some night sweats and dry mouth and and palpitations and anxiety. I wrote here low-grade anxiety, but the anxiety can be quite severe. The tongue will have very little coating and be more red and the pulse will usually be more thin and tend to be a little rapid because of the deficiency heat that’s thinking– that’s happening here.

So the formula that we think about when we think about this situation is Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan. It’s a very for- famous formula for, that addresses this yin vacuity. One of the main herbs there is Shu Di Huang, Rehmannia, and is one of the basic herbs that we use for strengthening the the yin and supporting the blood.

And also there are herbs that help to relieve deficiency heat and calm the shen. So together, this is our best combination for this kidney yin vacuity with yang rising. And this in the, the correlating points then when I think of Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan is points like kidney three combined with heart seven.

Sometimes I think of heart six and kidney seven because that is the combination that allows the, the yang to go back to its source. And I usually combine that with spleen six, which supports the blood and the yin and also circulation. So those are the points that I think in this pattern. The next pattern is a heart, liver heart and liver blood vacuity where we’re seeing both difficulty falling asleep and also there could be dream disturbed sleep.

And and then there’s there could be some waking with disturbed sleep, but there … It’s not necessarily one of the important sign of the pa- pattern, and usually a little more paleness, pale tongue maybe maybe choppy pulse. There is some roughness because of the deficiency but we see definitely blood vacuity as the source.

And for this pattern, it’s more of a liver… it’s a, a livery person that we want to look for. And then the combination that we think of is Suan Zao Ren Tang. That’s the most important formula. It’s one of the main formulas we think of when we think of sleep issues or insomnia. And by the way, Suan Zao Ren could be used as a single herb to help fall into sleep.

So that’s something that we need to remember. And sometimes you can just give a handful of Suan Zao Ren and have the patient make some tea before going to sleep, and which is a great technique to help this ability to fall asleep, especially if the main issue is difficulty falling asleep.

So the acupuncture points that we might think of in this case is Spleen 6 and Heart 7 combination. We might need to also support the spleen to be able to create blood, so we can use points like Stomach 36 a- as supporting for that, and that would be our choice when we’re seeing this pattern The next pattern is a heart qi and blood deficiency with unsettled shen.

And the f- my favorite formula for this pattern is Hu Po Yang Xing Dan or amber nourished heart pill which is a very special formula. I really like that combination for insomnia, especially when it comes with pr- pal- palpitations and easily startling and this kind of unsettled shen with heart unable to support the s- the shen when it needs to go to…

when we need to go to sleep. The important thing is the Hu Po Yang Xing Dan is all about this ability to transition, but also it works on the heart’s ability to focus and concentrate. So I use this formula for children who have a lot of blood heart qi and blood vacuity together with sleep disturbances, but as well as difficulty fol- fo- focusing with ADD and ADHD.

So this is a, a, a very versatile formula and can be used in many ways and one of my favorite formulas, Hu Po Yang Xing Dan. The correlation may be a combination of Heart 7 and Pericardium 6, and together with Bladder 15, and sometimes we can even think of Bladder 20 to nourish the spleen and support that blood production.

And the next formula is more of an excess type of insomnia, right? When we have a lot of liver qi stagnation causing either depressive heat or actually depressive fire, or fire coming from this liver qi stagra- stag- stagnation. So there’s people with a lot of agitation, and they get very anxious, and they get very, they think of all the things that they haven’t done when they need to go to sleep, and they, instead of falling asleep, they start trying to solve all the things that they haven’t done. So there’s this very strong difficulty falling asleep, a lot of irritability and anger outbursts, very typical of liver constraint.

And the thing that we– the formula that we think in this case is Chai Hu Long Gu Mu Li Tang. It’s a sedative formula, right? It sup- it suppresses the liver, but also helps with moving the liver qi. And and it’s usually w- the thing that the type of insomnia that we’re looking here is more of an excess type.

The person or the patient is more of an excess patient. Then we need to think of points that move the liver, so we can use Liver 3, we can use Gallbladder 34, and we combine that with Heart 7 to calm the spirit, and we can get a good effect on that w- with these points. So these are just examples, and you– it gives an idea of how to address these issues So there’s another aspect that we need to think of in terms of insomnia and that’s when we have phlegm or phlegm-heat or phlegm-dampness, and that’s harassing the heart.

And so when we get that, we’ll have really restless sleep, very vivid or disturbing s-dreams. There’ll be also some chest oppression and sensation of phlegm in the throat. And maybe if there’s heat involved, if it’s phlegm damp… If it’s phlegm-heat there’ll be some bitter taste in the mouth. Or if there’s phlegm-dampness, it might be only a kind of feeling of nauseous and a sweet taste in the mouth.

And the pulses, of course, will be very slippery and rapid or just slippery and a greasy tongue coat is definitely could be involved. So the formula that I think in this case is Wen Dan Tang, and Wen Dan Tang is very important formula for many issues relating– emotional issues that that are resulting from dampness that’s hindering the free flow of the liver qi liver and gallbladder qi.

So I think of Wen Dan Tang when people get stuck in their thinking, stuck in their activity, and then also have this a lot of repeated dreams, like the dreams are play, are played on replay because the phlegm is causing that stuckness that’s associated with damp and phlegm that we know from Chinese medicine.

Wen Dan Tang is an amazing formula, and if there’s a lot of heat, you can think of Huang Lian Wen Dan Tang as another option. The acupuncture points that are associated with that would be maybe Pericardium 5 together with Stomach 40 and Heart 8. Or for those of you who are shy of making or of needling Heart 7, Heart 8, you can think of Heart 7 as another option for that.

That’s the, the phlegm harassing the heart, or sometimes it’s called gallbladder deficiency with phlegm accumulation. Okay. So I want to just point out two important herbs that I always think of when I I’m thinking about when I’m making the formulas for these patients who are suffering from insomnia.

One of them is Suan Zao Ren, and we mentioned that earlier how important this herb, especially in people who are having difficulty falling asleep. And there’s also a lot of information about Wu Wei Zi, and traditionally we are using Wu Wei Zi with- for as an astringent, as kind of holding the jing or astringent the jing, and it calms the shen and it helps to consolidate the exterior.

So it has to do something with the Wei Qi circulation and it’s just used a lot for insomnia. So when you are making formulas for your patients that are dealing with sleep issues, definitely think of these two herbs to add there to help with the different aspects of insomnia so again, when we are treating insomnia, always diagnose the, where it’s, where the disturbance is happening.

So you n- the– let that guide you in what’s happening. So if it’s more at the beginning of the sleep, the middle of the sleep sometimes early waking is another pattern that we need to look at. And then match your treatment to the specific pattern. And always know that there are some general things that you need to know, do.

And one of the other things that we always need to discuss is what we call sleep hygiene, which is keeping the environment that you’re… When you’re walking into a place where you’re going to sleep, how can you make it clean and not disturbing to your, the pattern of falling asleep and staying asleep?

This ends our second part. I want to again, thank the American Acupuncture Council for letting me speak today about sleep disturbances. And thank you very much. And again, if anybody wants to be in touch with me and to ask more questions, please feel free to contact either the motioncenter@gmail.com or motionherbs@gmail.com.

And you have the two relative and websites on the slide here. And thank you very much for your time.

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Supporting Sleep with Chinese Medicine Part 1 – Moshe Heller

today we were, are going to talk about how do we support sleep in Chinese medicine.

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Hello. My name is Moshe Heller, and I’m from the Moshen Center in New York and also representing the Moshen Herbs which is a company that produces formulas. And I’d like to first thank the Acupuncture Council for letting me present today. And today I’ll be speaking about supporting sleep with Chinese medicine part one.

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So let’s go to the slides, and we can start. So a- as I said, today we were, are going to talk about how do we support sleep in Chinese medicine. And we’re going to talk about in part one about the ma- mechanisms and and how can we look at sleep from a Chinese medical perspective and support it.

And then in part two, we’re going to talk about patterns and formulas and points for the treatment of sleep disorders So I think there are two important substances that we need to discuss or remind everybody when we talk about the physiology of sleep and those are blood and yin. And so these are two important aspects of maintaining sleep.

The first of all b- in– The w- first of them, blood is the one that governs falling asleep. So blood as a substance in Chinese medicine is understood not only that it is the red fluid that travels in your arteries and veins, but also your ability to transition from an active mode to a more relaxed mode.

Therefore, for example, when if we have blood deficiency, then we tend to have muscle spasms because one, the transition between activity and relaxation is not smooth, so you get muscle cramps. The same way goes with sleep. If we have abundant blood, then the transition between being awake and going into sleep is smooth, and we will fall asleep easily.

In general, blood is this– the enables the transition from a yang state of being, from an active state of being, to a yin state of bl- b- being, so it lets us relax into sleep. Whereas yin, on the our other aspect, is actually supporting the staying asleep. So it’s about enabling us to maintain or stay asleep or go into deeper sleep.

This is the yin aspect of our th- that is in charge of that. So in fact, if we have a yin vacuity but not necessarily a blood vacuity, we’ll fall asleep easily and then we’ll wake up frequently during the sleep or not go into a deep sleep. So yin enables us to easily or stay asleep and then and go into deeper states of sleep, and we’ll see why in a second.

The generally speaking, we’re saying here, what we’re saying is that falling asleep easily but waking frequently usually points to a yin vacuity. But if we are having difficulty falling asleep but then we sleep better, then that’s more of a blood vacuity. So that’s a clinical clue for us to always remember.

So the blood has actually two roles in its ability to sleep, and it has to do with it, its relationship with two organs. One is the heart and the other one is the liver. In the first part, the blood enables relaxation into sleep, meaning it it enables us to relax into sleep, as I said in the previous slide.

But it also has this ability to house or enables the housing of the shen in the heart and then, and the housing of the hun in the liver. So when blood is full and abundant, it allows the shen and hun to rest peacefully in their relative organs. And therefore, if we have deficiency or issues with blood, liver blood or heart blood, then we will have either a difficulty of the shen to rest peacefully or the difficulty of the hun to rest peacefully, and that will look slightly different.

If so we’ll… And we’ll talk about that in a second There’s another point that I have to point out, which is very important. Sleep is part of a rhythmic aspect of our qi circulation, and we always need to take care of this or try to remember that qi circulation is part of this awakening and going to sleep rhythm.

So as we know in the Ling Shu it says that the wei qi circulates 25 times on the surface mainly through the jing jingjin sinews channels and maintains muscle tone and mobility. And in the evening, it penetrates the body at the ankle tran-transitioning from the surface to the interior, and at night it circulates 25 times through the zangfu organs following the Ke cycle and then it emerges in bladder one jing ming at the corner of the eye, allowing for the eyes to open.

So this wei qi circulation is really an important aspect that we need to remember and see if there’s blockages anywhere in that process and which allow– will allow us to understand how to treat it better. And so we can see a reflection of that wei qi circulation with our body temperature as we see here that during activity when we wake up, our body temperature usually goes down, but as we fall asleep towards the evening, then the body temperature will will be reduced and as we s- we sleep at a lower body temperature and that also reflects the yin yang activity.

So when we have more yang, we have higher temperature. When we are in a more yin state, we will have lower temperature. So there is also this ability for the blood to help us with this mental relaxation, the spiritual aspect of that. And and, during sleep, we say that the Shen retires into the blood.

If the sh- the blood is not full, then we will have a Shen not being able to rest quietly, as I mentioned before. Whereas also this kind of waking or ability to wake is managed by this kind of liver qi regulation of the circulation of qi throughout the body, including the Wei Qi’s circulation.

And so when we are having movement in the muscles when we’re trying to sleep, we should definitely look at this kind of relationship between qi circulation, the liver, and what we might call liver qi constraint, and the, in order to resolve that disturbance. This is really important to remember the relationship between the liver, the blood, the Shen, and the Hun so generally speaking, we also say that there is a lot of relationship between the Hun and dreams.

So the Hun, when the Hun moves inward drawing Qi away from the mind, then it hel-helps us or it will allow for, or it will create these dreams and the Hun wanders that’s when we c- what we might call when the Hun wanders it produces dreams and observes it’s observed as rapid eye movement or REM sleep.

Dreaming is necessary for health, for our healthy both la- function of our body. This really REM sleep is considered a very important part of not only sleeping and getting deep sleep, but also helping the body reje- rejuvenate and heal itself. When we talk about blood vacuity the heart blood is causing…

When the heart blood is deficient, this is causes what we might call fun or vexation, or when the liver blood is deficient, we might call it as restlessness and we call that jiao or agitation. So those are two different aspects of blood vacuity

So we also have to remember that our relationship between the different Zang organs and the eMoshens, and so how they the, the eMoshens affect the organs and when the organs can imbalances in the organs can affect our eMoshen. When we have too much heat or in, in the heart that might cause a lot of irri- a- anxiety and anxiousness.

Whereas when we have some disturbance in the liver, that can cause anger and and, a- and stress. And worry of course also affects the spleen, but then it can also affect the heart blood. And then when we have fear and fright, that is usually a relationship between the heart and kidney, and a lot of that is more than fright, it’s very

It’s fear and irritability, and that is associated with the kidney and heart balance. This is, summarizes very quickly what we are talking about or what different aspects that we need to look at when we look at insomnia. We have to look at what the issue is, where it’s l- the issue is located.

Is it falling asleep? Is it staying asleep? What are the eMoshens associated with it? The flow of qi and circulation, which we can assess by feeling the pulse and palpating different points, and therefore we can create a, a more clear picture of what needs to be done. So this ends part one and in part two we’ll talk about different formulas and patterns that are associated with insomnia.

But I wanted to thank again the American Acupuncture Council for letting me speak today, and I hope that we will, I will see you soon in part two. Thank you very much.

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ADHD, the Gut Microbiome, and Chinese Medicine

Research on the ADHD gut microbiome is expanding, but the clinical meaning remains unsettled. Studies suggest that some people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder have differences in gut microbial composition, immune signaling, or gastrointestinal symptoms. These findings do not prove that dysbiosis causes ADHD or that changing the microbiome will reliably improve core symptoms.

In this presentation, pediatric Chinese medicine practitioner Moshe Heller discusses the gut-brain connection through the lens of Chinese medicine. He relates digestive function, the Earth element, phlegm, dampness, and Shen disturbance to patterns that may appear in children with attention, activity, sleep, emotional, and digestive concerns. For acupuncturists, the practical value is not a new stand-alone treatment for ADHD, but a framework for evaluating the whole patient while staying within an evidence-informed, collaborative plan of care.

What the ADHD gut microbiome research shows

The gut-brain axis describes bidirectional communication among the gastrointestinal tract, nervous system, immune system, endocrine signaling, and microbial metabolites. This is a biologically plausible area of ADHD research because neurodevelopment, inflammation, diet, medication exposure, sleep, stress, and gastrointestinal function can interact.

Recent reviews report differences in particular bacterial groups or microbial metabolites between some ADHD and control populations. However, results are inconsistent. Studies use different ages, diagnostic criteria, diets, medications, sequencing methods, and outcome measures. Some find microbial differences; others do not find significant associations with ADHD presentation or symptom severity.

The most responsible interpretation is that the microbiome may be one factor within a complex biopsychosocial condition. It is not an established diagnostic biomarker, and no specific microbiome profile currently confirms or excludes ADHD.

Research on probiotics and other microbiome-directed interventions is also preliminary. Small trials have reported possible changes in gastrointestinal symptoms, emotional regulation, or selected behavioral outcomes, but reviews continue to describe the evidence as limited and heterogeneous. Clinicians should not imply that probiotics, elimination diets, fecal microbiota transplantation, or herbal products are proven treatments for ADHD.

How Chinese medicine frames digestion, attention, and behavior

Heller’s presentation uses the Earth element as a clinical metaphor for transformation, nourishment, and stability. Within traditional Chinese medicine, Spleen and Stomach function may be considered when a child presents with poor appetite, loose stools, fatigue, fogginess, worry, sleep disturbance, phlegm, or difficulty sustaining attention.

He discusses three broad pattern concepts:

Spleen qi deficiency with dampness: fatigue, poor concentration, digestive weakness, loose stools, heaviness, or a “foggy” presentation.
Heart-Spleen deficiency: fatigue with poor sleep, anxiety, reduced appetite, pallor, dream-disturbed sleep, or difficulty settling.
Phlegm-heat disturbing the Shen: agitation, impulsivity, excessive speech or movement, irritability, poor concentration, and possible signs of heat or phlegm.

These are traditional pattern descriptions, not biomedical subtypes of ADHD. They should not be presented as equivalent to a psychiatric diagnosis, microbiome test result, or proven disease mechanism. Their value lies in organizing an individualized Chinese medicine assessment that also considers sleep, digestion, emotional regulation, medication effects, diet, family stressors, and other comorbid concerns.

What current evidence says about acupuncture for ADHD

Systematic reviews have reported potentially favorable findings for acupuncture, including acupuncture used alongside medication or compared with conventional treatment. Yet confidence in those results is limited by small samples, inconsistent controls, inadequate blinding, variable outcome measures, and risk of bias.

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health states that there is insufficient evidence to draw firm conclusions about the efficacy or safety of acupuncture for ADHD in children and adolescents. That position should guide patient communication. Acupuncture may be considered as an adjunctive, individualized supportive therapy, but it should not be marketed as a replacement for evidence-based diagnosis, behavioral treatment, school support, psychotherapy, or medication when indicated.

Practical guidance for acupuncturists

A useful integrative approach begins with scope, screening, and coordination rather than a promise to “treat ADHD through the gut.”

Confirm appropriate evaluation. ADHD diagnosis requires a qualified medical or mental health assessment. Symptoms can overlap with anxiety, trauma, sleep disorders, learning disorders, autism, mood disorders, hearing or vision problems, and medication effects.
Track functional outcomes. Use concrete goals such as sleep onset, stool regularity, appetite, classroom participation, emotional recovery, family stress, or treatment tolerance. Do not rely only on a parent’s global impression.
Coordinate care. With consent, communicate with the child’s pediatrician, psychiatrist, therapist, school team, or other treating professionals. Standard ADHD care commonly includes behavioral interventions, parent training, school-based support, and medication based on age and clinical need.
Document claims carefully. Record the traditional pattern diagnosis separately from the biomedical diagnosis. Avoid charting or advertising that dysbiosis caused the patient’s ADHD unless a qualified clinician has established a separate gastrointestinal diagnosis.
Use pediatric consent and assent. Explain the procedure in developmentally appropriate language, obtain guardian consent, seek the child’s cooperation, and stop when the child withdraws assent or cannot tolerate treatment safely.

Herbal medicine and microbiome safety

The formulas discussed in the video—including Shen Ling Bai Zhu San, Gui Pi Tang, Wen Dan Tang variations, Ban Xia Hou Po Tang, and Xiao Jian Zhong Tang—belong to traditional prescribing systems. Their inclusion in a lecture is not a recommendation for unsupervised use or a standardized ADHD protocol.

Pediatric herbal prescribing requires an individualized assessment, age-appropriate dosing, product-quality review, medication and supplement reconciliation, allergy screening, and knowledge of state scope-of-practice rules. Practitioners should consider potential herb-drug interactions, contamination or adulteration, hepatic or renal vulnerability, and the possibility that gastrointestinal symptoms require medical evaluation.

Do not advise families to stop stimulant, nonstimulant, psychiatric, or sleep medication without the prescribing clinician. New severe abdominal pain, persistent diarrhea, weight loss, blood in stool, dehydration, marked behavioral deterioration, suicidal thinking, psychosis, or other urgent symptoms require prompt medical or emergency evaluation.

Clinical takeaway

The gut-brain axis offers a promising research framework, and Chinese medicine provides a longstanding method for integrating digestive, emotional, sleep, and behavioral findings. Neither framework currently establishes that microbiome treatment or acupuncture can correct the underlying cause of ADHD.

For acupuncturists, the strongest application is careful pattern differentiation, realistic goals, conservative claims, coordinated care, and attention to digestive or sleep complaints that may affect a child’s functioning. Used this way, Chinese medicine can contribute to a broader patient-centered plan without overstating the evidence.

Explore more AAC education: Visit the American Acupuncture Council blog for additional clinical education, practice support, and risk-management resources for acupuncture professionals.

References

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. ADHD and Complementary Health Approaches.
National Institute of Mental Health. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: What You Need to Know.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Treatment of ADHD.
Liu Y, et al. A narrative review of research advances in gut microbiota and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children. Front Psychiatry. 2025.
Brown AA, et al. Associations of the gut microbiome and inflammatory markers with ADHD and co-occurring symptoms in young adults. Sci Rep. 2025.
Ang L, et al. Acupuncture for treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicina. 2023.
Zhao FY, et al. Integrating acupuncture into the management of ADHD in children and adolescents: a systematic review. 2025.

Educational disclaimer: This article is intended for licensed healthcare professionals and students. It does not provide medical advice, establish a standard of care, or replace diagnosis and treatment by an appropriately qualified clinician. Acupuncture and herbal medicine laws, scopes of practice, and documentation requirements vary by jurisdiction. Practitioners should use independent clinical judgment, obtain appropriate consent, coordinate care, and follow applicable laws and professional standards.

Treating Children with Seasonal Allergies

And I want to point out that when we talk about seasonal allergies, this is a range of diseases that can manifest in various ways starting with allergic rhinitis en-enlarged adenoids and that affects the sleep,…

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Hello, this is Moshe Heller from the Motion Center and Motion Herbs. I want to thank the American Acupuncture Council for letting me present today on this topic of treating children with seasonal allergies. This is a lecture that I’m repeating a lecture that I did exactly a year ago also talking about this subject.

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But spring is here, and and it is the time to talk about these things. And we have lots of patients that we meet or at least I’m seeing a lot of patients who are in need for help in this season with allergies. So now we can go to the slides, please. The spring is here, as I mentioned, and there’s these…

When spring comes and as practitioners of Chinese medicine, we always need to say to be in, in touch with the changes of the season. We feel those fluctuating temperatures the blooming plants and trees, and that all brings these sneezing and sniffles, and runny noses, and irritated eyes and ear– scratchy throats, and these are all signs of the seasonal allergies.

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And today, we’ll dis-discuss how we can help these patients with both acupuncture and herbs. And I want to point out that when we talk about seasonal allergies, this is a range of diseases that can manifest in various ways starting with allergic rhinitis en-enlarged adenoids and that affects the sleep, can cause sleep adne-apnea.

And children who have a tendency to have seasonal allergies will also tend to have some food allergies, and we’ll talk about why that is happening in a se- in a second. We have to understand that there’s a reaction of our immune system which causes an inflammatory process or an allergic inflammatory process, and we need to address that from multiple ways.

I just want to remind you this slide reminds you that there’s a lot of times the spleen or our digestive sy-system is at the center of this me- of this disease process, of the pathology. And we have a weakness a lot of times of the spleen and stomach, which then does not support the lung appropriately, and therefore our wei qi is imbalanced and overreactive.

And that our spleen also produces phlegm and dampness, which goes upwards and affects the orifices. So that just points out that when we see children with allergies in– I always discuss diet because for me there’s always a relationship between allergies and our diet. So when we suspect there is an allergy in the pathology then we always have to talk about are there any phlegm-producing foods that they are consuming and how we can change that in order to help in resolving the issues that that we’re that, that are presenting.

It’s really important to just start by asking what they eat on a regular basis. What’s their diet like? I always say, “What do they eat in the morning? What are their snacks? What are their lunch like? What’s their snack in between lunch? What’s their dinner like?” And that helps me Really understand what they tend to eat and is there any contributing factors for that?

And so always consider giving a three-week food journal. That is extremely helpful. I found that to be very helpful when I have patients do that and when they actually report that, then we can see what they’re eating and discuss, have a discussion about diet. So when we talk about pattern differentiation in in these conditions, we always look for, is there any lung or spleen qi vacuity or deficiency?

Or what we see a lot of times in Chinese in pediatrics, is that the … There could be a situation where there’s what we call hyperactive spleen qi deficiency, where the patient is actually s- s- having a spleen deficiency, but their behavior is very hyperactive and doesn’t really match the deficiency symptoms that we are, that they are presenting.

We always, I always also look to see if there’s any lingering pathogenic factors. As we know, lingering pathogenic factors can be a very common cause of disease in children. One telling sign is that their lymph glands under their mandibles are swollen. And so I’ll palpate that and if there’s, they’re swollen, I’ll start to ask questions about lingering pathogenic factor.

Was there an illness that was never fully resolved or has been chronic and that could be the trigger? There could be also a liver yang rising. We children also can manifest with liver yang rising and sometimes emotions, when liver … When we talk about liver yang rising, a lot of times emotional factors can be part of that situation.

What we may need to note is that each of these patterns may have bouts of either wind cold or wind heat attacks, meaning that it’s concurrently a wind cold or wind heat that’s attacking on the surface. And there it can be also complicated with phlegm dampness. In some cases, there could be an underlying kidney involvement, a kidney vacuity.

And what we always need to understand that when there’s an allergic s- condition that we … That there’s when there’s an allergic condition, there’s always some heat hidden or it’s … The heat is coming from somewhere. It could be yin fire, it could be qi stagnation, and it could be phlegm congestion.

All these are possibilities, but there always is a heat source or a cause for the heat to be present. So when we the … When we talk about allergies, it means that there is an hyperactivity of the immune system, meaning it reacts at the times that it’s not supposed to react, and therefore I

That, for me, always represents a heat condition or a hot condition that it could be deficiency heat, it could be excess heat, but there’s heat somewhere in the system, and we need to figure out where it’s coming from. Again, once we come with a di- have a diagnosis, we always can consider these different points.

Our main points are always Lung 7 and Large Intestine 4 to help resolve the exterior aspect of that. Du 23 is a point that I use a lot for clearing of the sinuses, so if there’s any accumulation, congestion, runny nose, anything that we need to address in the sinus area, Du 23 helps to clear both damp and phlegm and wind and cold from the si- from the head.

So that’s a very important point, as well as Gallbladder 40. Gallbladder 40 is a really important point, and sometimes I may use moxa on it or just needle it depending on the presentation, and that’s a very helpful point to … Especially when we have rhinitis as as part of the presentation.

Liver 3 there’s a lot of heat and the face is red and fa- symptoms of heat in the upper part, in the facial area, then I would consider Liver 2 or Liver 3 if there’s, there are not. Always remember this area between Large Intestine 10 and Large Intestine 11, maybe towards the triple burner line is what we call the immune regulation area, and I check for sensitivity or puffiness and and address that area also if needed.

Triple burner cis 16 triple warmer 16 is also a very important ar- immune point and help to regulate the lymph drainage in the neck area. And so that’s a very important point that I consider. As well as Du 12, if there’s lung qi reg… for lung qi regulation and a- activation of the thymus gland.

These are– this is why we would choose Du 12. And I always palpate the spine and needle very tight spots and look at areas like Du 2, Du 3 and/or Du 6. So these are areas that I check to see if there’s any irritation. And we could use needles. For some children, I might use shonishen technique and I always want you to remember that teishin is meaning the needle that is non-skin penetrating is always part of– has always been part of our nine traditional needles.

And we just need to understand that when we’re stimulating the skin, we’re stimulating the depths of our nervous system and also our qi. And therefore, it’s important to remember that we don’t necessarily need to use a needle in for all these points, but we can definitely use teishin or non- non-needling techniques or non-insertion techniques.

I also wanna point out we’re shifting a little bit to talk about herbs. One point… One thing I want to point out is this s- s- research study that was done on stabilizing mast cell a- mast cell activity. And there is a formula that was used. The Chin- included three Chinese herbs.

Those are… This formula is called Shuang Huang Lian, which is genin hua phloroglaucina, radix scutellaria, huang Qin, and forsythia, Lian Qiao. So these three herbs really help to act to regulate mast cell. And I’ll also mention that I’ll show you a product in a few seconds which is made from quercetin, bromelain, and nettles which are which is a great compilation to also help regulate or down-regulate mast cell activity, similar to what this formula might be doing.

So you can use these three herbs as a component in other traditional formulas that you might be using or according to the pattern differentiation to help with down-regulating mast cell activity. I also want to mention another research study that was done by Dr. Li from Mount Sinai. She used a formula.

She used a-another traditional Chinese formula Wu Mei Wan to address food allergies in particular. But I in my experience, it will definitely also be a good formula to consider in environmental allergies. And the formula is, This is the traditional formula.

It has known– it’s known for its zhūyīn. This is the ma-ma-main formula in the zhūyīn which addresses also parasites. And that’s why I think Dr. Li chose it because of the parasite theory and allergies that you can definitely read on in this, you have the research study right here.

And it points out– And this is actually the formula that was finally used in the research. This is the product I was referring to. It’s called D-Hist. Again, it’s made from quercetin, bromelain, and and nettles, which are all help in regulating allergic or the histamine response, regulating histamine response.

And it– There is a pediatric version, the D-Hist Junior chewables. I usually give this in larger quantity than is recommended on the dosage because I believe that the quantity of quercetin needs to be high in order to down-regulate or get a very a better effect on the for the patients.

So I sometimes double or triple the amount of the D-Hist that I would recommend for patients I want to– I hope this helped you very to address some of your patients’ concerns especially when it comes to allergic responses. I see a lot of patients in my office, especially in this season but also throughout the year, especially food-with food allergies.

And I so I hope this helps. And I want to thank the American Acupuncture Council again for letting me speak today. Thank you very much.

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GLP-1 and Chinese Medicine – Moshe Heller

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Supporting the Immune System in Winter – Moshe Heller

I’m going to be speaking about supporting the immune system with Chinese medicine in winter. So can we start the slides

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Hi, my name is Moshe Heller and I’m from Moshen Herbs. I want to thank the American Acupuncture Council for today’s show, and today I’m going to be speaking about supporting the immune system with Chinese medicine in winter. So can we start the slides? Good. This today’s topic will be how can we support the immune system with Chinese medicine in the winter months.

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And I wanted to just note that I, in my office I’ve been seeing a lot of flu patients and this year there’s actually a lot of stomach flu going around in winter, which is usually strange because usually this is a summer flu. But I have been seeing a lot of. Winter flus also.

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Just wanted to re remind everybody that as practitioners we always should tell our patients that when they feel that a cold is coming on, when they’re feeling not right, that it is the best time to come for treatment. Rather than not, because a lot of patients might say, oh, it’s just a bit of a cold, so I don’t wanna come in.

Actually this is the best time to give treatment is when things are starting up. I also wanted to remind everybody that there is a link between our immune system, our neurological is system, and our gastrointestinal system. So this connection is what we work on in Chinese medicine in general.

So it’s really important to remember that when we’re talking about an immune system issue, we need to also look at the gastrointestinal system and. Talk about diet and our neurological system, meaning how can we prevent stress and and stay in a more calm state. Also wanted to remind everybody that this.

Idea comes from this concept that in our gastro in our digestive system in Chinese medicine, spleen and stomach are in charge of creating this are way chi are defense chi and our nutritive chi, which are really important to support our immune system. So when we’re looking at.

Supporting the immune system. These are things that we need to take into account. First before we go into treatment of the flu, I wanted to discuss prevention. Because prevention is always the best way to provide support rather than treating the disease itself. The most famous preventative or supporting the immune system formula in Chinese medicine is called Yan.

And Moshen herbs has a variation of that. Which is called shield, and it is, basically an enhanced Yan that helps to boost the immune system and prevent occurrence of colds and flus. Some classical practitioners might also use yin chaan and a low dose as a preventative formula, or the formula.

Shia Huang supporting the xang level. In order to prevent an invasion of a pathogenic influence. The shield is based on, as I said, ying sun. And I combine it with kuang to support or harmonize the ying and the way and therefore support the immune system. We also added a little bit of CIA and Chen p or what is called sometimes too urchin tongue. And that’s to transform dampness because dampness definitely hinders our ability to produce to hinders our immune system. So we wanna stay damp or phlegm free, so too cured. Or urchin tongue is the formula for that.

Finally we added Gogan tongue to harmonize the muscle layer and linger to support the immune system. It’s an adaptogenic m mushroom that really helps with the immune system. Here’s a look at how shield looks like and then. In terms of acupuncture, I, what would correlate to that is points like stomach 36 and CV six.

Supporting the qi. UB 12 is like the back shoe of wind and helps to support that and also UB 13 to support the lung. These are all really important points to use as preventative. And we of course we can use OX on stomach 36 to strengthen the overall chi. Avoiding phlegm producing foods is something that we should recommend to our patients and is also very important.

When we’re treating a pathogenic influence, we need to consider a lot of times where is the pathogen and how do we need to address it. But we can use points like large intestine four and triple burner five, and as well as g gov governing vessel 14 and gallbladder 20. And we can also treat by using cupping and of course.

Supporting the avoiding phlegm producing food not enough to stress that. In terms of formula selections, we have a variety of formulas. Yin chaan is for the start of a wind heat sung to yin in on the contrary use. Is when wind, heat is causing cough. So cough is a big sign for San Ang is when there is a deficiency and the wind cold concurrently and ling.

I usually think of it when we have a sore throat involved because it has herbs that relieve toxicity from the throat. Ing ng tongue is a, is also when cough is involved, but a little more. With some cold, damp in involvement. Defend is a new formula from Moshen herbs that combines yin, chaan and san together and creates.

This general formula for the beginning of the cold, and I added conning tongue here, or curing pill, which many years ago was called curing pill, but now we find it as conning tongue is the formula for a stomach flu. And it works fantastically and it comes in patent and you can find it in Chinese stores or many other distributors of Chinese.

Herbal formulas. This is concludes all the the information I wanted to give you for today, I will still, I wanna thank the American Acupuncture Council again for letting me present this. And I think it’s really important information. And if you want more information about supporting the immune system, please log into the website on the slide.