Treat Autism with TCM

1. Treat Autism with TCM Zhenzhen Zhang Lic. Acupuncturist/Herbalist

2. TCM Diagnosis • Kidney Deficiency (Prenatal Defect) • variety of developmental delays or unbalanced development • Heart shen /spirit disturbances • Speech problems, delay or lack of talking, sleep problem • Delayed social skills • Liver Qi-body energy flow disharmonized • Anger, uncontrollablebad temper • Over active • Stomach/Spleen dysfunction • digestive problems

3. Acupuncture • In-Office Treatment • Acupuncture points and meridians stimulation • Methods: • Quick needling, magnet suction cups, glass cups, Tuina massage • Frequency: twice per week, • 10-30minutes • Tuina 5-10 times per meridians • Home Care • Tuina each meridians once per day, 20-30minutes

4. TCM Medicinal Food • Balancing Diet Consultation: • Medicinal food and herbs • Individualized formula

5. TCM Diet for Autism • Recommended food: • Dark/ black food: to nourishing Kd essence, the brain marrow • Mushroom, black sesame, black beans, black dates, black rice, black wood ear (black edible tree fungus), black burry. • Nourishing brain/nerve foods: • Nuts (e.g. walnuts) • Lecithin (e.g. egg, soybean), • Vitamin B1 (e.g. liver, beans, brown rice, oat) • Omegar-3 (e.g. tuna, eel, sardines, salmon, cod) • Vegetables: organic • Exclusion: • food additives, preservatives and dyes.

6. A Case Study • A 4-year old girl, dx Autism when 2 ½ years old • Signs and symptoms: • hurt other kids (pushand bite), no interest in playing with other kids. Often cry for long time, no close relationship to parents orrelatives . Lack of eye contact. Dislike to talk. Hard to calm down, can’t even finish a meal. Take 2 hours to fall asleep, wake up middle of the night and can’t go back to sleep again. • TCM Dx: • kd deficiency—kd essence deficiency –brain marrow lack of nourish; • heart can’t get nourish from prenatal kd essence-- heart predominate spirit, speech, emotion and sleep; • Heart and kidney meridian all reach to tongue to sent essence to power speech

7. A Case Study (continued) • TCM Tx: nourish kd essence and heart blood • acupuncture: needling and magnet cupping • Tuinamassage • 3x/week, 15-20nimutes/each section • Parent massage (teach her mother) same points and meridians, 20-30minutes, once per day. • Diet suggestion: • Dark food- black sesame, mushroom, walnuts, rich food with Lecithin (egg, soybean….), Vitamin B1( liver, beans, brown rice, oat...),Omegar-3(tuna, eel, sardines, salmon, cod..) . • Vegetables : organic • Herbal drink( no bitter herbs): rose, mint, gojiberry, ass hide gelatin(e jiao) • Less sugary food, no preservatives • Result: after 6 months, the girl was able to sit down to have a meal, sleep improved a lot, easy to fall asleep and stay asleep. Eye contact was much better. Listen to parents talk. One year later (before they move back to Japan) gradually talked more, was able to sit down and listen to stories for 5 more minutes and liked to read picture books which she was never able to do it before.

8. Conclusion • Anyone with autism could benefit from acupuncture and herbal medicine. We will work with the parents closely, offer complete, individualized Chinese medicine approach: acupuncture, massage, herbal medicine and diet consultation. • Cases with higher success rate: • Younger age • Without complication • Parents corporate • Multi-therapies • Balanced diet • Long term battle • Less likely to succeed: • Severe cases with complications • Busy parents