How TAC (Tongue Acupuncture) Can Help Improve the Condition of Autistic Children
ASD or Autistic Spectrum Disorder or simply Autism is deemed as a permanent brain disorder. It may now be one of the most commonly seen neurological developmental disorders in children with a cause that remains unknown and thus, with no presently viable cure or treatment. Autism is marked by impairment in cognition, social communication, and language. The disorder’s underlying cause seems to be neuropsychological (difficulty processing complex information), neurobiological (genetic) or neurochemical (imbalance in dopamine or serotonin). Autistic children often also show secondary behavioral issues such as obsessive-compulsive behavior, short attention span, temper tantrums, volatile emotions, negative attitude, hyperactivity, stereotypies, irritability and aggression. Evidence both direct and indirect has indicated that neurochemical systems might be a key in understanding the pathological origins of autism.
Sadly, nowadays, we are seeing a dramatic surge in the number of autism cases worldwide. A few years ago, for every 10,000 children born, there were 10 to 15 cases of autism. Now, this has been replaced with 40 to 60 cases per 10,000 people. Ethnically speaking, Caucasian and Asian children are the most affected. This has led to a greater interest in developing new treatment approaches to help the affected.
Autism According to TCM or Traditional Chinese Medicine
In Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Chinese term for autism is Self-Shut-Off Syndrome. In Communist China, it is labeled the Lonely Syndrome. There is no such disease as autism in TCM. Practitioners approach disease and health based on Yin-Yang philosophy, which includes the homeostasis and balance of the universe as well as the five elements of soil, fire, water, wood, and gold. They also adhere to the empirical and phenomenological observations of the eight principles, Blood, and Qi. These physicians classify syndrome based on the theory of Zang Fu organs or according to 8 principles; Qi and Blood. The pathological origin of a disease depends on abnormal ascending or descending Qi, strife between Pathogenic Qi and antipathogenic Qi , or Yin and Yang disharmony. Qi (pronounced chee) is the body’s vital or life energy that flows throughout and within the entire body. The 8 principles include yin/yang, excess/deficiency, heat/cold, and Interior/Exterior/Interior. All of these concepts are included in TCM philosophy that has over five millennia of human pathophysiology and physiology experience behind it.
The origin of a disease, based on TCM concepts, depends on six exogenous factors (fire, dryness, dampness, summer heat, cold, and wind) as well as seven emotions (fright, fear, grief, worry, melancholy, anger, and joy), along with stagnated phlegm and blood fluid, lack of exercise, overstrain and unhealthy diet. According to Western medicine, this may impact the immune system of the body.
The four components of a TCM diagnosis include palpation, inquiry, olfaction/auscultation, and inspection. For palpation, the practitioner feels the qualitative aspect of the pulse (not the qualitative as Western medicine practices). The other parts of the body may be also palpated. By inquiring, the TCM physician asks relevant and leading questions that involve cold versus heat, outside versus inside, and weak versus strong. The practitioner smells and listens in olfaction/auscultation respectively. For inspection, the practitioner observes the appearance, color, and vitality of the tongue and the five sensory organs (throat, mouth/lips, gums, ear, nose, and eyes). These four components are integrated with jing-luo (the meridian system) and zang-fu knowledge (the organ system) to help the practitioner make a diagnosis and formulate a plan of treatment based the methodologies of TCM. Acu-massage or acu-Tuina, acupuncture, natural medicine, and herbal medicine are some of the treatment modalities used by TCM.
In TCM, children suffering from delayed language development, global developmental delay, autism, cerebral palsy, or mental retardation are traditionally grouped under the 5-Delays Syndrome, which is based on walking, standing, speech, teeth eruption, and growth. Based on the concept of TCM, the dysfunction of the brain in children directly correlated to disequilibrium of their body functions. TCM always uses a holistic approach to treat a condition. This approach is grounded on the theory of Yin/Yang; within the framework of Energy Balance is a disease viewed.
Acupuncture
For more than 2,000 years acupuncture has been practiced by TCM practitioners worldwide. In the United States, the FDA or Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1997 recognized the legitimacy of acupuncture as a form of medical treatment. Acupuncture has been practiced in Europe for centuries. After the US officially recognized acupuncture as a valid treatment, Canada, soon followed suit. Clinical studies have shown that acupuncture has benefits in the treatment of brain disorders and for pain.
Acupuncture involves the use of filiform needles that are stuck into parts of the body known as acupoints. The body has over 2,000 acupoints scattered throughout. Each of these points are connected to a network of meridians or energy channels of which there are 14 in the body. Near each acupoint are nerve endings that when stimulated, lead to activation of both the local and distal points in the body that lie along the same energy channels. The activation/stimulation of these points can lead to neurochemical-hormonal, neuro-immunomodulatory electromagnetic energy enhancement, and neural signaling effects.
The acupoints selected depends on what kind of therapeutic effect is needed as well as the kind of acupuncture method to be used (acupressure, laser acupuncture, electrical acupuncture, and body acupuncture). For the treatment f children suffering from brain dysfunction, traditional acupoints on the body and scalp are used. This leads to an improvement in the overall functional abilities of the child.
Tongue Acupuncture
For autism, one of the most important parts of the TCM clinical diagnostic examination is the observation of the tongue. This is because the tongue is the only body organ that can be seen externally and can be exposed. The smell, superficial growth, dryness, and color of the tongue can help TCM practitioners determine a type of treatment grounded on the eight principles. Furthermore, based on TCM principles, the tongue can determine the heart’s state of health. The heart is the master organ that controls all the other internal organs. So, in a way, the tongue is connected by energy channels to all the body organs.
TAC or Tongue Acupuncture is an innovative acupuncture procedure and is based on Wang Di’s Internal Medicine book, which is one of the oldest medical books in China. It is where the concept that the tongue is the intersection site of all 14 meridians in the body originated. It has been discovered that the tongue possesses more than 40 acupoints. TCM practitioners assume that there is a Human Map in our tongue. A network of neural-vascular channels inside the tongue exists. These channels spread to various areas of the brain, particularly in the cerebellum. Using functional MRI and PET, neuroimaging has revealed that a dysfunctional cerebellum as well as other dysfunction of the other parts of the brain may play a part in the development of autism. The cerebellum is directly associated with social behavior, the regulation of emotions, the ability to plan, language, and thought.
Does a Dysfunction of the Cerebellum and the Other Parts of the Brain Really Result in Autism?
In a certain study, a short TAC treatment led to positive outcomes in two normal subjects in the realms of visual processing and language. Some studies are trying to determine whether TAC can affect stereotypic/ritualistic mannerisms (basal ganglia), excessive function and affect (frontal lobe), language (temporal lobe), and cognition (cerebellum). This involved the observation of changes in glucose metabolism using a PET scan.
Other TAC (Tongue Acupuncture) Studies
In March 1999, a controlled pilot study was done that integrated TCM with that of Western medicine in the treatment of children with different forms of brain disorders. The study involved more than 700 children suffering from different types of developmental and/or neurological disorders including 250 children with autism.
For five days each week one to two courses of TAC was given to the patients. For each course, there was a total of 20 to 40 sessions lasting 4 weeks. Researchers looked at individual cases and studied the daily written reports done by the mother of the child depicting her child’s progress after each TAC session. Children showing some kind of improvement after finishing a couple of courses were offered the option of further courses, at the parents’ requests and depending on the degree of clinical improvement.
This study showed that the children with autism showed significant improvements in core features (cognition, social communication, and language) and in secondary features (functional independence, sleep, temper, tantrum, aggression, attention, and hyperactivity).
As TAC had been included in this study as a novel type of acupuncture procedure (level 3 evidence), another study was done. This time it was Double Blind Randomized Placebo Control trials (TAC versus Sham TAC) and Randomized Control Trials to gain Level 1 evidence. These trials studies were done specifically for children with Cerebral Palsy and Autistic Spectrum Disorder.
Most of the subjects manifested improvement of functions in varying degrees, depending on the magnitude of their disabilities and their age. Certain improvements were evident after a few sessions of TAC, particularly for poor balance in walking, ataxia, tiptoeing or scissoring (spasticity), and drooling. After a single to a couple of rounds of TAC, functional improvements were noted. Excluding the minor bleeding and occasional in some patients, most of the children tolerated the treatment well.
The Difference of TAC Autism Treatment to Other Types of Treatments
TAC is a new form of acupuncture treatment that has been demonstrated in clinical trials to successfully improve the dysfunction associated with autism. It does this by stimulating the essential connections in the brain. Researchers believe that stimulating specific acupoints in the tongue repetitively can bring back the connection of the neural circuit through the neural network of the cerebellum. Improvement may be seen via the re-signaling of the neural circuits through neurotransmitters such as cortisol, dopamine, and 5-HT/serotonin. When the temporal- frontal-cerebellar circuits are reconnected, it may lead to the reversal of basic dysfunctional channels in autism, including hyperactivity, emotion, or attention, and open up a possibility for learning cognitive or communicative skills. A reactivation of the latent brain can make it possible for education and intensive therapeutic approaches (such as behavioral, occupational and speech therapy) and education that can assist the child to take in information in a more efficient manner.
The Future of TAC
There still are a lot of questions that need to be answered in TAC treatment of autism. TAC and other alternative therapies should be considered as adjunctive treatments in neurological disorders. The consensus is that an interdisciplinary approach using Chinese and Western medicines is the best approach in treating autism. It’s the job of researchers to show the topography of the brain with the right combination of tongue acupoints. The aforementioned studies will play a vital role in creating a potential paradigm shift as to the pathological origin of neural plasticity and autism.
We can consider TAC to be an adjunctive or start-up treatment for autism. This article was done to introduce TAC as a quick, relatively non-invasive, and simple treatment approach that can be of benefit for families all over the world with autistic children.