Acupuncture for Children and BabiesChinese Medicine is a highly effective form of healing that extends to all ages, including babies and children. In fact, one of Chinese Medicine's first specializations was, in fact, pediatrics! As babies and children are extremely important to keep healthy, many of the Chinese Medicine remedies and strategies used today were originally created with the treatment of children in mind.
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Why Work with Kids?
Working with children is a powerful way to show the effectiveness of Chinese Medicine. Not only does it often clear problems quickly, it also has the added bonus of being drug-free. Chinese Medicine is about holistically benefiting the body. The Chinese word for the vital energy and life-force flowing through everyone is Qi-this is a pillar of acupuncture theory. Working with a child is not about just making a cold go away, it is about allowing Qi to flow through their body uninhibited allowing them to grow and live a more healthy life.
Children benefit as much from acupuncture as adults do, having the additional options for treating illnesses can be beneficial especially when other methods have been used without success. Personally, my children have benefitted from the usage of natural remedies to treat things like colic, colds, jaundice and fevers especially. The usage of Chinese medicine to treat fevers has proven to be very powerful. Chinese Medicine can also include lifestyle changes with food as well; strengthening the body and allowing all channels to remain unblocked by harmful chemicals.
Children benefit as much from acupuncture as adults do, having the additional options for treating illnesses can be beneficial especially when other methods have been used without success. Personally, my children have benefitted from the usage of natural remedies to treat things like colic, colds, jaundice and fevers especially. The usage of Chinese medicine to treat fevers has proven to be very powerful. Chinese Medicine can also include lifestyle changes with food as well; strengthening the body and allowing all channels to remain unblocked by harmful chemicals.
Is Acupuncture Safe for Children?
Acupuncture is very safe for children. As stated above, children feel the benefits of acupuncture as much as adults do and can be treated for anything from emotional trauma to the common cold. Children reportedly respond faster and better than adults when they receive acupuncture. In addition to acupuncture they can also receive dietary advice, home massage techniques or Chinese herbs to help treat the problem they are having.
Acupuncture is incredibly safe with minimal risk if it is administered by a trained professional. Kids who are afraid of needles need not worry in an acupuncture setting because pediatric acupuncture is very different than just getting a shot. Acupuncture needles are so much smaller as they are hair-fine and create a virtually painless experience for the children.
Acupuncture is incredibly safe with minimal risk if it is administered by a trained professional. Kids who are afraid of needles need not worry in an acupuncture setting because pediatric acupuncture is very different than just getting a shot. Acupuncture needles are so much smaller as they are hair-fine and create a virtually painless experience for the children.
How Do You Treat Children? Will They Have to Be Still? Will it Hurt?
Children under the age of 8 don’t retain needles (meaning they won’t hold firm in their skin). Instead of this we us a non-retention technique where the needle is inserted and then quickly removed. Depending on the comfort of the child, needling can be done on the lap of a parent or while they are distracted by something else. When it comes to treating children we try to be as accommodating of the child as possible. Treatments for children are typically much shorter than the average adult treatment, usually around 15-20 minutes. The sensation of the needles are painless and children very rarely react to the point, especially if words associated with shots are not used to describe the acupuncture treatment. Typically there are no reactions in children but occasionally if there is a release of energy sometimes a baby may be warm or fussy after needling but typically calms down in a few minutes.
Does It Work?
Children respond very quickly to Chinese Medicine treatment because their life-force energy is so strong! Their bodies are made to be healing and growing and so acupuncture and other treatments tap into that inane ability to heal and correct. Children typically need less treatment than adults because of this and will improve faster between sessions.
Acupuncture can work with varying degrees of success depending on what issue we are treating. There is an underlying cause to the problems in our body and acupuncture is one way of helping that but there usually will need to be other work done hand-in-hand. For example, if we are treating your child for stress there will be a greater chance of success if measures were taken in their life to identify specific stresses and to remove or reduce them. If your child is in poor physical health, their food habits may need to be changed to help them be at the peak of health. Chinese Medicine can increase the success and speed of these changes that you make at home. The process of using traditional Chinese Medicine is like a boost to other alterations you make in your life at home.
Acupuncture can work with varying degrees of success depending on what issue we are treating. There is an underlying cause to the problems in our body and acupuncture is one way of helping that but there usually will need to be other work done hand-in-hand. For example, if we are treating your child for stress there will be a greater chance of success if measures were taken in their life to identify specific stresses and to remove or reduce them. If your child is in poor physical health, their food habits may need to be changed to help them be at the peak of health. Chinese Medicine can increase the success and speed of these changes that you make at home. The process of using traditional Chinese Medicine is like a boost to other alterations you make in your life at home.
How Does Acupuncture Work?
Acupuncture works with your child’s body and stimulates a healing response. The Qi (energy) your body has can be manipulated via specific acupuncture points (also called meridians). Children are considered to have more Qi than adults because they are growing and generally respond better to treatment as we stated earlier. Acupuncture is simply a tool to get energy back into balance and back to normal. Click here for more information about Traditional Chinese Medicine.
More than needles. What Are Non-Needling Methods?
Acupuncture is highly effective but there are some non-needling techniques that can be used for treatment as well. A child’s comfort and trust are the most important thing to an effective treatment. If a child doesn’t wish to have needles we can use several other techniques such as, acupressure, cupping, tui-na massage and diet or lifestyle changes. We try and explain all the remedies to the child and parents so they can be used at home as well. You can find an explanation of our services here.
How Many Treatments Will They Need?
Our first session with anyone involves the intake and generally takes an hour. Subsequent sessions can vary but they are typically much shorter and are usually under 30 minutes depending on the treatment intervention. How long treatment takes depends on what exactly we are treating. For more simple acute issues like cold or colic, weekly treatments for one month is standard and often enough. Chronic issues that are large will need longer treatment plans that can span several months or perhaps up to a year.
When the initial health issue has been resolved, regular maintenance a few times a year is recommended to keep the body in balance. These maintenance treatments help prevent other health issues from developing.
When the initial health issue has been resolved, regular maintenance a few times a year is recommended to keep the body in balance. These maintenance treatments help prevent other health issues from developing.
What At-Home Treatments Can I Do?
In general lifestyle and diet changes are recommended and can be the most effective to treat your child’s specific condition. Everything we do is customized to your child’s specific needs and we can offer some direction in massage and meditation techniques that will benefit treatment at home. The best thing you can do for your child at home is trust the practitioners you are working with and use the techniques that they suggest for continued healing. Any questions or concerns about treatment will gladly be answered and we will try to provide as much information as we can about any treatments.
Does it work? |
Yes! Children respond very well to Chinese Medicine treatment. It works with their bodies' innate ability to heal, and allows for typically rapid correction of difficulties without the need of drugs. In my experience, children often need less treatments than adults, with faster improvement between sessions.
How well the treatment works is often tied to the specific cause of the child's difficulty. If the cause is stress, measures need to be taken in their life to help them cope with stress or reduce it. If the cause is dietary, food habits need to be changed. That said, Chinese Medicine increases the speed and success these home changes will have on the child's health. We give the system a boost and push in the right direction, if you will. More on how acupuncture works. |
How long does it take? |
The first session involves the intake and generally takes an hour. Subsequent sessions are often much shorter and are usually 30 minutes, depending on the treatment intervention.
How long to treat the condition depends on what we are treating. For simpler, acute issues, such as colic or a cold, weekly treatments for a month is often enough. Larger, more chronic issues will need longer treatment plans over a period of months or maybe a year. Once the initial issue has been resolved, it's a good idea to have regular maintenance treatments a few times a year to keep the body in balance and prevent other health issues from developing. |
Does it have to be needles? Non-needling methods. |
While acupuncture is highly effective, there are non-needling techniques that we use as well. Most importantly, the child needs to be comfortable and to trust us. Therefore, if a child does not wish to have needles, we use several other techniques, including acupressure, cupping, tui-na massage, and diet or lifestyle changes. Often many of the remedies are explained to the child and parent and are continued at home.
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