The Yin and Yang of Social Phobia by Brian B. Carter, MS, LAc

yin/yang

One Chinese physician proposed adding downward/ upward direction to this, for a total of 10 principles.

So for you - so far - we have: yang, hot and excess.

Is the Disease Internal or External?

Causes of external heat are usually viruses, flu's etc. And external diseases are usually recent, not chronic. Nor do they often have severe emotional effects... unless they've been around for a while and caused other internal problems. Usually emotional issues are due to internal causes. Sources of emotional trauma may be external, but the disease processes are still considered to be internal. I'm going to assume your disease is internal, but if your symptoms are only a recent development, then an external pathogen is a possibility.

Zang Fu Syndromes of Social Phobia

Now, if we take our 8 principle diagnosis of internal, hot, excess, and yang over to the article on Social Phobia... in particular the section on Zang Fu syndromes (opens another window for reference)

We see 5 Zang Fu syndromes listed. The first two are deficiency. The last three are excess. So, we can further differentiate by seeing which symptoms of your fit those syndromes. Here is where Tongue and Pulse diagnosis become key, and where a one-on-one with a Chinese Medicine practitioner is indispensable. Also, I don't have enough information from you to make this further differentiation.

Just for your information, the 5 Social Phobia Zang Fu patterns in terms of the 8 principles are:

Heart and Kidney Yin Deficiency = internal, hot, yang, deficient

Spleen and Heart Qi and Blood Deficiency = internal, no temp, yin, deficient

Heart Fire or Excess Heart Yang = internal, hot, yang, deficient and excess

Phlegm Fire Disturbing the Heart = internal, hot, yang, excess

Liver Heat and Blood Deficiency = internal, hot, yang, deficient and excess

Diagnosis by Zang Fu vs. Diagnosis by Type

Now, these 5 Zang Fu syndromes are not the end-all-be-all... this is what is called "diagnosis by type." It is not exactly the same as "pattern differentiation." It's a process by which we start with a disease (in this case Anxiety), and look at what Chinese Medical scholars believe to be the differential diagnosis. This style of diagnosis is fairly new... so it is in development. But it's a good place to start.

Once we have a type, we can take the representative herbal formula and modify it more specifically to you. This part is based on pattern differentiation and a knowledge of the actions of various chinese herbs. There are hundreds of herbs to choose from. We can fine-tune your formula over a few visits to eliminate side effects. For more about how herbal medicine can be effective without side effects, read the article, "Healing Without Side Effects?"

One on One Help

Probably the best thing for anxiety would be to see a Chinese Medicine physician who can get you the right herbal formula, and give you acupuncture to regulate your nervous system.

Other Helpful Therapies for Social Phobia

Along with this, it would be good to see a counselor who can guide you through some self-reflection about your social phobia... especially if it's been a recurrent part of your history.

It may take all three of those things- and in addition to the counseling, prayer and meditation can be powerfully transformative. It's not easy to confront deeply held fears, and mistaken ideas about ourselves and the world, but it's well worth it. You can't really run from them- not in any constructive way. They'll just hang around and wait for you to deal with them... and you won't be happy until you do.

In fact, wasn't it Eleanor Roosevelt who said that the best way to destroy fear is to do the thing you are most afraid of? Try toastmasters - most people are more afraid of public speaking than death! Toastmasters is a support and learning group for public speaking, and the first lesson is how to use the fear to your advantage!

BEST WISHES in your healing... and if I can help further, please let me know.

All the best,

B

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BIO:

Acupuncturist, herbalist, and medical professor Brian B. Carter founded the alternative health megasite The Pulse of Oriental Medicine (http://www.PulseMed.org/). He is the author of the book "Powerful Body, Peaceful Mind: How to Heal Yourself with Foods, Herbs, and Acupressure" (November, 2004). Brian speaks on radio across the country, and has been quoted and interviewed by Real Simple, Glamour, and ESPN magazines.

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