Meet Christopher. My handsome, sensitive, fiery, creative, smart 7 year old who suffers from allergy induced asthma. Just a regular boy who loves ice cream and playing “minecraft†with his brother. Mi Vida, Mi Amor.
I first noticed wheezing when he was 6 months old. The whole family was battling one of those wicked upper respiratory viruses but he just couldn’t seem to shake it. Nothing makes a mom feel more helpless than a sick baby. For the next few years we did what I will call the “copay shuffle . get sick—go to the pediatrician—take medicine. We shuffled ALOT. The antibiotics got stronger and more expensive adding steroid medications to calm the inflammation in his lungs.
WHY CAN’T I BREATHE?
When he was 5 we ended up in the emergency room late one night. Once he was stabilized I (choking back tears) smiled and told him, “your heart is soooooo big it must be squashing your lungsâ€. Deep inside I was a wreck. A bonafide sleep deprived nervous wreck. Armed with a nebulizer and a months supply of albuterol, I left the hospital feeling like I could save him next time, but I still didn’t know why he couldn’t breath.
I grew to love that albuterol. It was my safety net. If he woke up in the night and couldn’t breathe–I had the cure. And he woke up often but it was sporadic. I took notes on a calendar trying to link the “attacks†to something…anything.
Intuition told me he was allergic to something but what? I took him to specialist to get proper testing. And this is when the taking of medications reached a high octane frenzy. It was determined that he was allergic to MANY things (dust mites, grasses, pollen, shrimp etc…) and would need the following medications:
- Daily antihistamine
- Daily steroid inhaler with special apparatus for pediatric use
- Rescue inhaler (one for school & one for home)
- A special medicine in the nebulizer for night use (1 month supply cost $600.00)
- Benadryl on hand for allergic reactions
I busted the dust, changed his bedding, purchased an air purifier and all the medicine prescribed except the $600.00 one (I could not afford that).
Problem solved.This had to work (big exhale).
Except he didn’t get better. It actually felt like he was getting worse.I was only managing his symptoms.The medical equivalent of chasing my tail. There has to be another way.
Luckily, I had been given the assignment of interviewing a new doctor at OrthoCarolina for Scoop, Dr. Alison Warren DAOM,L.Ac. Among the select few in the top of her field, Dr. Warren holds a Clinical Doctorate in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from Bastyr University in Washington, specializing in pain management.She received her Master’s of Science in Traditional Chinese Medicine in Chicago from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine after receiving her Bachelors in Premed and Psychology at Kent State University. During her training in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), she also traveled to China to train at prestigious hospitals in both Shanghai and Chengdu. There is nobody like her in this area. Read my interview with her HERE.
I made an appointment for Christopher the following week.She offered me something that no other doctor had …a path to the root cause and hope.
THE FIRST APPOINTMENT
Traditional Chinese Medicine is based on the principle that the mind and body are NOT viewed separately but a connected system. The body is NOT a bunch of parts and pieces but works together as a whole. Because TCM treats each person’s underlying (root problem) the course of treatment is unique to each individual. This is Christopher’s experience and diagnosis.
I had prepared Christopher that there would be needles—very tiny ones. “Please mom, I took those allergy shots like a BOSS! I can do thisâ€, he replied. Dr. Warren immediately put him at ease with casual conversation. She took a look at his tongue, felt his pulse and asked questions about diet, bowel movements, sleep patterns, medical history and details about his asthma. All of which, I tried to let him answer to the best of his ability. After the assessment she looked right at me and said ,”We can fix this”. I trusted her.
He did brave the acupuncture “like a BOSSâ€. She placed needles in several places on his back right over his lungs. Immediately the points began to turn red. His body was releasing inflammation. The needles were in for maybe 5 minutes–not long. Children tend to respond quite well and quickly.
Then she focused on his diet.
FOOD IS MEDICINE
My mother (who lived in the country and grew her own food) has always preached, “food is cheaper than medicine ,eat a healthy dietâ€. Dr. Warren goes one step further stating “Food is Medicineâ€. Proper nutrition and hydration is the key to healing many diseases according to TCM. All foods have properties that either help to balance our bodies and make us healthy, or create imbalances which ultimately result in sickness. We each have a particular body constitution (heat, cold, damp, dry) that makes us unique. By eating the correct foods for your constitution, you’re feeding your body what it needs to be balanced.
Christopher’s official diagnosis is LUNG PHLEGM HEAT.
Heat Body Characteristics
- Tendency to feel warm
- Tendency to be talkative
- Uncomfortable in hot weather
- Urine tends to be dark
- May suffer fever blisters, canker sores
- Dresses in short sleeves
- Tends toward ruddy complexion
- May suffer headaches, nose bleeds, bleeding
- High blood pressure gums
- Often thirsty, craves cold drinks
- Sleep often restless, disturbing dreams
- Tendency toward impatience, irritability or anger
- May be constipated
(info from shen-nong.com)
Ideal foods for HEAT are pears.cucumbers,lightly cooked green leafy vegetables especially spinach and watercress. Vegetables of all kinds are helpful whereas meats should be limited. Foods that have a cooling effect along with plenty of water.This is no different than old fashioned country wisdom I heard from my mother as a girl.
For Christopher his lung inflammation is largely due to phlegm–the main contributor of his wheezing and breath constriction. According to TCM phlegm starts in the stomach/digestion. Dairy products encourage the production of phlegm in the body. My ice cream lover would have to give it up.
Avoiding dairy was going to be an adjustment, but It’s not as though he will have to live without it forever. He has build-up from eating these foods and eliminating them for a while will do wonders.Then, he can have them occasionally but when he begins to feel symptoms, he eliminates those foods until he is better. We can do his.
We found substitutes (almond milk for milk, hummus for cheese/dips) and tried new foods (quinoa, crispy seaweed). I bought fresh bread at the bakery that doesn’t have preservatives and chemicals I can’t pronounce. These chemicals are also big contributors to inflammation. I noticed big results within 2 days of changing his diet. I mean, he’s 7 so we slipped up occasionally. Consequently, when he did eat something inflammatory (chocolate ice cream cone from grandma) he would need a breathing treatment. I felt like it was working. His body was healing and I finally had a road map to the cause.
BODY HEAT
Our family has always referred to Christopher as the human microwave. His body temperature (to the touch) always ran HOT—hence the HEAT body. It made him a wonderful snuggler but according to TCM was a sign of inflammation. At the 2nd visit Dr. Warren performed GUA SHA (pronounced gwah sah).
Gua sha is an ancient healing technique used in TCM. In this procedure massage oil is applied to the skin of the area to be treated. A smooth-edged instrument is used by the acupuncturist to apply short or long strokes on the skin. This stroking motion creates raised redness. Gua Sha has the ability to break up stagnation, release toxins and promote the flow of blood in the area.
Christopher’s was treated on his back right over his lungs.The area turned red and stayed that way for 2 days. It looked terrible, but didn’t hurt him at all. After his treatment the heat completely left Christopher’s body. I was amazed.
CHRISTOPHER’S PROGRESS
As of today, Christopher is off all medicines expect an occasional breathing treatment that can usually be traced back to something he ate. He went from a daily antihistamine, a rescue inhaler used at school and a nightly breathing treatment to THIS. He still goes to Dr. Warren for weekly treatments—we started November 13th 2014.So, in three months she has my little guy well on his way to being healed and stabilized.
WHAT I LEARNED
I don’t understand the complex inner workings of acupuncture and exactly why these tiny needles placed strategically in meridian points moves energy around and heals the body. I also, didn’t realize that simply adjusting his diet could make a significant change. I’m a wise label reader now.
What I do know is this: I didn’t want my child to spend a lifetime struggling with illness, managing symptoms and taking medication. I want him to thrive and heal. Dr. Warren has helped me.
If you (or your child) has an acute or chronic illness that could benefit from Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture contact Dr. Alison Warren at OrthoCarolina. She see patients in two locations The Spine Center in Charlotte and OrthoCarolina in Huntersville.
Dr. Warren helped me too. My Journey into Traditional Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture. If you have any comments or questions email me at scoopleighann@gmail.com.
