People often ask me if traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can help their children to which I enthusiastically reply YES! I got into this business to find out how I could better help my children and I gotta say, I love it!
Not all children need acupuncture, but all children can benefit from traditional medicine. In fact children can respond so quickly to treatment that its sometimes hard to keep up with their changing patterns. Their Qi is abundant and transitions quickly and their bodies haven’t yet settled into deep patterns of dysfunction. In our practice we use any one or two of the following techniques on children: acupuncture, acupressure, cupping, eStim & moxibustion. So don’t worry if you child is afraid of needles because as you can see, we have so many ways we can use our medicine to help and we would never force treatment on a patient who is afraid. Energetic medicine doesn’t work that way.
The magic of TCM and children is the system of diagnostics. A stomach ache to a western physician has perhaps 3 different causes. Oftentimes the diagnostic procedures to ascertain the causes are too invasive and/or not cost effective and so they move onto their 3 solutions that vary in efficacy and risk. The safest of these solutions are often very similar to what we would use in TCM. However, in TCM there are upwards of 20 different causes for a stomach ache and by utilizing our diagnostic tools (tongue, pulse and symptom profile) we can frequently narrow down treatment options that will be most effective and minimally invasive.
Plant medicine is also very effective in children and having a skilled herbalist guide you in their effective uses for childhood ailments renders them a safe and accessible form of treatment. Nature is wise and oftentimes the skilled use of a balanced herbal therapy will illicit fewer side effects than the isolated chemical compounds found in a lab developed pharmaceutical. Almost all classical TCM herbal formulas have been specifically balanced to reduce the negative side effects caused by the active ingredients. It is built into the architecture of the formulas. There are Chief herbs and Harmonizing herbs and they are chosen for those purposes.
I love treating children because at heart, I’m a geek about explaining health and bodies and I love hearing what kid have to say when they describe what they’re feeling. I have so much respect for these little humans and the way they light up when they know someone is really listening to them and understands them is truly priceless.
Everyone loves the old Whitney Houston song…[cue 🎶I believe the children are our future🎶], but the thing is, they aren’t just our future, they are our present and they have sooooo much to offer us if we would only listen.
Which brings me to one of the best reasons why TCM is amazing for children. It teaches them a language that they can use to better understand and communicate about their wellbeing which in turn makes it easier to help them and live with them. By empowering children, we make everyone’s life better both now and in the future.
xoxo, Beth
Check out the links below for more information on Acupuncture and Children.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/acupuncture-for-kids-deemed-safe-by-pediatricians/
Acupuncture is endorsed by your pediatrician…and has been since 2011
It “is safe when performed by appropriately trained practitioners”.
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2011/11/16/peds.2011-1091
It can improve symptoms of ADHD
Read this meta analysis on acupuncture to treat pediatric pain…https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2225411019304146