Children are very responsive to acupuncture although they are often treated with acupressure or a combination of acupuncture and acupressure. The picture on the right shows a acupressure spring loaded pen like device. This is not a needle and the skin is not pierced with this type of treatment.
The technique is to bounce the pen up and down with the rounded point of the device constantly in contact with the skins' surface. The sensation is quite relaxing and children can get used to the experience and the health benefits and usually are quite accommodating to the odd needle after a few treatments.
Acupuncture/acupressure is a wonderful medicine for children it is a very effective and safe method of treatment for many problems. It has a long and venerable history in China, and it is growing in popularity in the West. It can help in a very wide range of conditions and illnesses, even some which cannot be helped by orthodox medicine.
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The sensation is quite relaxing and children can get used to the experience and the health benefits and usually are quite accommodating to the odd needle after a few treatments.
Jo Rochford
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Acupuncture has the great advantage of being safe and non-invasive compared to surgery and other techniques. It is free from the weakening side-effects of drugs. It is holistic and curative rather than merely symptomatic or palliative and the long-term effects are to strengthen the child. The question really lies not in whether children can be treated by acupuncture but when a parent should consider taking their child to an acupuncturist and when to give medicine
prescribed by a doctor. Julian Scott
Many parents would like to treat their children with complementary medicine but do not know when it would be appropriate to do so. Chinese Medicine works on very different principles from Western Medicine; principles which may seem strange when viewed from a mechanistic standpoint and which may offer an alternative or opposing opinion on how to improve your Childs health from that given by your GP. When embarking upon a course of acupuncture for their child parents can
sometimes feel confused about whose advice to follow.
The ancient Chinese medical texts say that children get illness easily and illness quickly become serious. They also say easily ill, easily cured. This is because children's energy is still immature and therefore responds very quickly to disease or treatment. Adults tend to respond much slower to both. The dilemma for a parent and any medical practitioner however is which category the child is in right now, quickly getting worse or about to quickly get better?. Most
parents and practitioners tend to err on the side of caution and usually assume the worst case scenario, acting very quickly at any sign of unhealthiness in the child. This is not always the wisest idea though and can often lead to parents feeling forced to give their children certain treatments that they didn't want them to have, simply because they feel they must act speedily.
When to use alternative therapies with children:
Overuse of antibiotics, especially with children has become a much discussed subject. Doctors will often prescribe them for a whole range of childhood illnesses. In Chinese medicine antibiotics are known to injure the digestive system and can be seen to often be the precursor of asthma, eczema, and a generally sickly child.
There are usually many other alternatives to antibiotics for your child which complementary practitioners can advise you on. That is not to say that antibiotics do not have their place, especially in treatment of acute situations. However many parents whose children have not taken many antibiotics feel that their child is generally healthier. I have also seen patients who took a lot of antibiotics as a child and have been generally unwell since. The choice though must
always be down to the parent. It is advisable to read around the subject and discuss it thoroughly with your complementary practitioner and doctor before you decide. The same applies to the use of inhalers and steroid creams on children.
If they have acupuncture a fine sterile, stainless steel needle will be inserted at each selected point in turn. This may cause a slight prick, but much less than the pain of an injection or immunisation. Immediately after the insertion, the needle is manipulated subtly and briefly until the sensation of 'Obtaining the Qi' has occurred. This part of the treatment may feel sore or numb to your child and he or she may cry. However, most children are easily and immediately
amused after the needle has been removed from the last point, with tears evaporating into smiles.
If they have acupressure, selected points will be massaged, or tapped with a variety of rounded probes. Most children really enjoy acupressure and want to have a go themselves or treat mummy!
On young children, usually four to six points are used, on older children sometimes a few more. Everything happens within a short time, from a few seconds to perhaps a minute or so. Most treatments are carried out with your child sitting in your lap - the safest place to be!
Sometimes we use
Moxa, a smouldering herb held near selected points to warm them gently. Sometimes small suction
cups are applied to points on the body for some minutes. These techniques can be quite pleasant for the child.
See Also:
Baby Massage
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