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Why Would You Have Anxiety & Diarrhea?

By David Foster | Published May 27, 2026

The question shouldn’t be why WOULD you have anxiety and diarrhea? The question should be why WOULDN’T you have anxiety and diarrhea?

The cause of loose stools can be over complicated and analyzed, replete with fancy biochemical terminology, citing the benefit or particular bacterial strains, such as Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, Saccharomyces boulardii, and Bifidobacterium, but from a Chinese medical perspective it comes down to one of two fundamental pathologies, and/or a combination of the two.

Either we have too much unhealthy bacteria in the gut (“dampness”), putting excess strain on our stomach, causing excess poop—or not enough good bacteria (“dryness”), which leads to the production of more inflammation than nutrients and again, excess poop. Over time, one pathology inevitably engenders the other and we’ll almost literally poop our brains out, as the gut produces most of the body’s serotonin, which acts as a signaling molecule to the nervous system.

The modern coined “Gut-Brain Axis,” first outlined by Zhang Zhong Jing as “Tai Yin” system in his masterpiece, Discussions on Cold Damage 2,000 years ago—it stands to reason that we should feel some type of emotional dysregulation as the cause or result of chronic diarrhea.

Two of the best ways to manage this are, you guessed it! Diet and exercise!

Warm, cooked vegetables and moderate protein strengthen the microbiome and exercise unburdens it, specifically and especially strength training, as the muscles classically exist in a mutually interdependent dynamic of engenderment with the pancreas and stomach. Strong muscles can equal a strong gut (though there is such a thing as “too strong,” where a person’s weightlifting addiction over-burdens their organs’ fluid and bacterium reserve), or vice versa.

When lifestyle doesn’t seem to do the trick, Chinese medicine has a great deal to offer.

For a gut that is overburdened with damp, harmful bacteria, we offer herbal formulas that revolve around Poria Mushroom if there are accompanying heart palpitations or insomnia, Atractylodes if there are accompanying thirst or joint pain, Magnolia Bark and/or Bitter Tangerine for bloating and/or chest tightness, or Pinellia root if nausea, thirst, or dizziness.

For a gut apparently deprived of healthful bacteria we recommend eating more white rice, especially if the patient is prone to loose stool. Chinese herbs include licorice root if there is acid reflux or low blood pressure, ginseng if there is thirst or fatigue, wheat for anxiety and depression, or Gypsum Stone if the person feels over-heated, manic, and craves cold drinks.

When bodily fluids plummet, as in diarrhea (or excessive urination, excessive menstrual bleeding, excessive any form of loss) it gives rise to the Chinese metaphorical concept of “Wind,” that is too much heat and/or energy (Yang) rising to the head as a result of a lack of fluids (Yin) in the lower portion of the body. This “Wind” can manifest in any way, from unsettling symptoms of the gut, chest, head, or mind. Anxiety is a proclivity near and dear to me, and throughout my thirties (combined with organic maturity) Chinese medicine helped me enormously. Please reach out if you or anyone you know is dealing with this familiar pattern!

 

Posted in Anxiety, Digestive Disorders, Herbal Medicine, Weight Loss | Comments Off on Why Would You Have Anxiety & Diarrhea?

What (the HECK) Should We Eat?

By David Foster | Published May 13, 2026

It may seem ironic that the most foundational Chinese medical texts harp on diet and nutrition almost as moderate and infrequently as do modern western medical schools. Part of the reason is in ancient times they did not have to navigate the “paradox of choice” of today. They ate what was available and needn’t concern themselves with overindulgences such as refined sugars or heavy seasonings, as neither one yet existed.

How to eat was apparent and matter of fact. Cooked rice and whole grains were encouraged in moderation to support stomach fluids and absorption. Cooked vegetables were mandatory in every meal and animal protein was highly encouraged, however not in nearly the quantity non-vegetarians consume it in today.

How to translate this into modern lifestyles:

For BREAKFAST we recommend any form of porridge and/or eggs with cooked vegetables—preferably the latter. The former can be oatmeal with nuts and fruits or rice, quinoa, or millet congee, either with nuts and fruits or pickled vegetables. The latter can be a baked sweet potato with butter, roasted sweet potatoes with olive oil, roasted zucchini with olive oil, sauteed collard greens, steamed brocooli, roasted carrots with butter… truly anything that one finds delicious and practical for those busy weekday mornings.

For LUNCH we recommend leftovers or a soup or some kind of cooked meal with vegetables. Raw foods, such as salads or smoothies are ok in moderation for some, but raw foods are more difficult to digest. They tend to cause gas and bloating and inflammation in their wake.

For DINNER a homecooked meal of whole foods. Not everyone has time every night to cook, and I am no exception to that, but we encourage everyone do their best to prioritize metabolic health, say over a clean house or even a clean kitchen, google some recipes you like, and just do it! It’s all good: Steak, fish, chicken, pork, tofu, tempeh, beans, pasta once in a while… it’s all good! So long as it’s homemade and warm 🙂 Personally speaking, many of my own long-term chronic ailments forever abated in my early thirties after I started finally cooking for myself at home. The rest of them improved when I quit eating refined sugar.

Never in human history have sweets been as sweet as they’ve been in the U.S. in the past 50 years. I encourage all of my patients to find as best alternatives as possible for their cravings (coconut yogurt, any yogurts, almond butters, any nut butters, dark chocolates, some honey or maple syrup if necessary, hummus, anything but American junk!) and recondition their minds to making things like packaged candy that doesn’t expire relatively invisible to their eyes.

Needless to say, it also benefits metabolic health to not eat late at night, by the same token to not skip breakfast, not consume alcohol on most nights, and DO consume hot tea daily

This is not about shaming anyone. It’s about encouraging, educating, and empowering us to navigate an environment that is obviously not designed for long-term health.

Posted in Acupuncture, Allergies, Diet, Digestive Disorders, Nutrition, Recipes, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Weight Loss | Comments Off on What (the HECK) Should We Eat?

Chest & Breast Pain & Chinese Herbs

By David Foster | Published May 11, 2026

Geography is significant in Chinese medicine. Not just the label of a symptom or disease, but its location, for acupuncturists, strongly informs our diagnosis.

When I ask patients whether they experience chest pain or tightness I am not necessarily concerned for some respiratory or cardiovascular disease. The chest is the “domain of Shao Yang,” “Lesser Yang,” that is relative to the head, neck, and face, described more often in our literature as “Tai Yang” or “Yang Ming,” respectively

The Shao Yang system harbors the end result of our body’s “pivot,” from metabolic production to the distribution of vital substances around the body. Soreness around the ribs, tightness in the chest, cough or even shortness of breath can be a result of our organs failing to produce adequate substances to engender functionality above.

The textbook pulse quality at the radial artery in such patterns is a “wiry one,” illustrating a microcosm of the fluids in our torso beginning to stretch thin. Needless to say, the best way to avoid this mechanism is with a diet that produces ample fluids and exercise to clear heat. If you don’t succeed, and eventually none of us do, what is the flavor of your chest pathology?

Sharp pain that is better with exercise, first of all obviously bodes well from a biomedical perspective, but also indicates some subjective blood stasis in the chest—most often a lack of blood movement due to an inadequate quantity of metabolic fluids giving rise to inflammatory heat, which tends to dry out the diaphragm and everything that includes it. Best remedies are moderate exercise and deep breathing. Best acupuncture points are Pericardium 6, which fires into the brain’s insular cortex, subsequently down the vagus nerve.  Herbal formulas include platycodi bark, immature tangerine peel, and peony root.

If the chest feels hot, it suggests further aggravation of inflammatory heat, which might include sequelae such as insomnia, anxiety, and/or irritability. This may be difficult to treat with acupuncture alone, although local points such as Ren 17, Lung 1, and Liver 14 may help. Herbal medicine will be more effective, including the very bitter coptis root or gardenia fruit to additionally clear heat from the stomach, otherwise prunella spike, lily bulb, and/or if there is notable phlegm in the lungs, trichosanthis, or “gua lou pi.”

If your chest pain is worse after eating it clearly suggests some degree of food stagnation—that is indigestion. Steamed and bland foods are advisable until it resolves, as is drinking Pu-Erh tea, and performing manual stomach circles around one’s abdomen.

Best acupuncture points are Large Intestine 4, which fires into the brain’s periaqueductal gray matter, then into the abdomen. Herbal formulas include magnolia bark, rhubarb root, tangerine peel, ginger, and bupleurum root, to comprise the majority of “Da Chai Hu Tang,” or Major Bupleurum Decoction. Alternatively, if one is more prone to diarrhea and lack of appetite, more advisable would be the simple, four-ingredient digestive aid, “Li Zhong Wan,” or Regulate the Middle Decoction, containing ginseng, dry fried ginger, atractylodes root, and licorice.

Persistent chest pain should be taken seriously, especially if coinciding with shortness of breath, and one should see their medical doctor to rule out any danger. Once structural ailments are ruled out come see us to address the root of the issue!

Posted in Acupuncture, Anxiety, Asthma, Blood Pressure, Heart Disease, Traditional Chinese Medicine | Comments Off on Chest & Breast Pain & Chinese Herbs

K-Pop Demon Hunters Laryngitis Cure

By David Foster | Published April 29, 2026

 

 

If you have a daughter between the age of 4-7 there’s a good chance you’ve seen the 2026 Academy Award winning movie, K-Pop Demon Hunters. I’ve seen (part of) it many times.

For those who haven’t, it’s about a group of adorable, young, female K-Pop stars—by all appearances as big and famous as Taylor Swift—whose side gig is to periodically battle and destroy a species of underworld demons. I like to joke to my wife to imagine if Taylor or Beyonce moonlighted as fierce, violent warriors. Childhood is fantastic.

The hook is that the group’s lead, Rumi, is secretly half-demon. As a result, parts of her body are covered in constitutional skin patterns that she shamefully conceals from her best friends and the world. Early in the movie, near the peak of her success (which somehow promises to help finally eradicate the demon realm) she begins to intermittently experience bouts of laryngitis that are supposedly due to her heritage—not her career. As outlined by Mayo Clinic, this is an extremely common symptom and challenge for singers, most of whom have no demon blood. Desperate for a resolution, her friend and bandmate, Zoe, refers her to a local “healer” in town.

I have been an acupuncturist and Chinese medicine clinician in New York for thirteen years. Herbal medicine is a huge part of my practice. I teach it at Pacific College of Health and Sciences and Virginia University of Integrative Medicine, and study Chinese medical texts every night. However, I frequently feel like the polarizing charge around the Covid vaccine during the pandemic has, in the minds of the “science is real” crowd, given us a bad, or at least an inadequate rap.

The local “healer” Rumi goes to ends up personifying many modern stereotypes about alternative medicine. His personality is kooky. On one hand, he can accurately “see through” each of Rumi’s friends, Mira and Zoe, into their souls, and tell them things about themselves they were barely aware of. On the other hand, he turns out to be a charlatan when they later peel away the label from the herbal potion he gives Rumi, revealing it to be grape juice.

I was fine with the idea of Taylor Swift and Beyonce working days as demon slayers, even with the proposed etiology of Rumi’s laryngitis being her demon heritage, as opposed to the more scientifically logical one of being a singer. But I must take exception to us (Eastern) herbalists being consistently portrayed as quacks—not to mention a contradictory one in this case, where said charlatan concurrently possesses a very impressive psychic intuition.

Chinese medicine is not inherently opposed to western medicine. Many generations ago, Chinese medicine doctors once crushed up smallpox scabs to then blow up the noses of people with the intention of inoculation. Most Chinese hospitals of our present generation contain and administer both western pharmaceuticals and Chinese herbs equally, sans contentious ego, depending on what they deem the best option for a patient. I’m confident if any layperson or doctor were to read the medical texts I do or listen to the scholars I do, they would see that those of us who study diligently think every bit as critically as MD’s—that the majority of us are neither frauds nor “insta-famous,” and we can diagnose as well as any internal paradigm.

For what it’s worth, if Rumi’s voice problems were due more to her professional career, Chinese medicine has a lot to offer.

Our throats and voices derive functional fluids from our stomachs, which means singers are logically prone to dehydrating the digestive enzymes and healthy mucosal fluids of their microbiome. There are many ways to approach, depending on each patient’s unique body type.

If they are prone to general weakness and/or being thirsty for warm drinks Chinese or American ginseng can help. If they tend to low blood pressure and these same symptoms one might consider high doses of licorice, prepared with honey if they tend to feel more sensitive to cold, unprepared if more sensitive to heat. If they tend to nausea, sinus congestion, and/or a lack of thirst for water, pinellia root may help. If there is pain in the chest and phlegm in the throat, platycodi root can. There is also a classical formula from the Han Dynasty, “Jie Geng Tang,” which contains platycodi and licorice, a presentation no doubt combining phlegm trapped in the chest preventing functional fluids from reaching the throat.

Rumi would also be well advised to minimize the kimchi, as from a Chinese medical perspective both raw and spicy foods may cause vasoconstriction in the throat, the latter of which additionally dries out stomach fluids. Conversely, she should double down on the ramen and white rice, as “geng mi,” or rice can help generate stomach fluids.

I have no knowledge of herbal medicine or acupuncture reversing demon blood, but we can absolutely treat laryngitis, pharyngitis, and a whole host of chronic internal conditions. I am yet to meet a colleague with true psychic powers who can see through to patients’ souls, nor to know one who attempts to pass of grape juice as medicine.

Posted in Acupuncture, Allergies, Herbal Medicine, Holistic Health, Immune System | Comments Off on K-Pop Demon Hunters Laryngitis Cure

Topical Liniments for Acute & Chronic Pain

By David Foster | Published April 22, 2026

Since the beginnings of (Chinese) medicine, partially founded upon the demand to heal soldiers from warring states thousands of years ago, the use of topical liniments to treat acute and chronic pain has been integral to the practice.

Since becoming a patient just over 20 years ago, I’ve been aware of countless brands and combinations, at any given time one being supposedly a cut above the rest, hence the most popularly used by colleagues in clinic. For the past ten years, to my knowledge, that brand has been Evil Bone Water.

The ingredients are not novel—mostly common herbs we use to promote blood circulation, reduce inflammation, and stop pain—but my understanding is the quality of the herbs and manufacturing process by owner, Dr. Mark Brinson, is superior to any brand like it thus far. Most of the herbs are ones that can be equally drank, taken internally, although this is an exclusively topical medicine, only to be used externally for pain.

If you or someone might benefit from Evil Bone Water at home, my newest shipment is in, and I am proud to be one of New York’s many retailers. Please message me or just let me know at your next visit if you are interested in purchasing, or if you’ve purchased a bottle in the past and just need a (new) spray nozzle!

Speaking of visits! Beginning next week my Wednesday office hours will now be extended. Instead of the last appointment being at 2:45pm, it will now be at 4pm. Monday and Friday evening hours remain the same, with last appointments being at 7pm and 6pm, respectively.

Posted in Acupuncture, Arthritis, Back Pain, ElectroAcupuncture, Pain, Pain Management, Traditional Chinese Medicine | Comments Off on Topical Liniments for Acute & Chronic Pain
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