Young girl

Tummy aches? Chronic ear infections? Colds? Asthma? Failure to thrive? Oriental Medicine can help your child's compromised digestive or immune system heal without the use of antibiotics or other drugs.

Children benefit immensely from acupuncture. Because they are less "hardened" in their physical body the Qi moves quickly to clear blockages or stagnations, or to nourish deficiencies, as the case may be. The delicate nature of the child's system precludes the need for a pushy intervention so many times simple meridian massage may clear a stubborn condition in a young child. In the event that this is not sufficient, little gold beads (which are excellent Qi conductors) may be affixed to the skin and/or massaged as well. Very delicate metal filaments may also be tapped on points. In the older child, who is not fearful, very fine filament-like needles may be inserted.

Emotional shocks or traumas can easily affect the flow of Qi in the young. And because they have less coping mechanisms in place, emotions in disharmony may cause subtle imbalances which if left unchecked can cause illness later in life. Fear, anger, anxiety, can lead to symptoms suck as bedwetting, earaches, and stuttering to name a few.
*See case histories

Why use acupuncture to treat children?

Because it is so very effective and has no harmful side effects! For every illness there is an appropriate level of intervention. It is always best to use the least invasive form of treatment, to treat the illness without creating another set of problems.

What are levels of Intervention?

When engaging with the body to cure illness, there are many levels of intervention available. In cases of reaction to emotional duress, removing the child from the situation causing the stress is very effective. The removal of harmful stimuli alone may "cure" the symptom. Many times small changes reap great results.

When the symptoms have become a little more entrenched or chronic, another level of intervention is called for. Acupuncture (in the various ways we mentioned above) can unblock meridians, move qi, feed weak meridians, and release emotional patterns which hold the body captive to a series of symptoms. By simply bringing the qi body into balance, symptoms are alleviated. Nothing is added or removed, only transformed!

In entrenched cases, herbs may be the most efficacious form of treatment. Generally the herbs used in the care of children are gentle and effective tonics. Herbs at the simplest level are food for the body. For instance, if the lungs are deficient - as in a qi deficient asthma - we may decide to give a child a very gentle formula to feed the lung qi.

Note: The herbs used at Family Acupuncture are non-toxic and very safe. Although they are classical Chinese herbal formulas, they are manufactured in the United States to our pharmaceutical standards. Staff members give these herbs to their own children.