Acupuncture For Kids

Article | Patient Education Mar 27, 2016
Nini Mai, DACM

“Do you do acupuncture on your kid?”

I am asked that question, and variations on that question, on a weekly basis. And the answer is: Yes, I perform acupuncture on my son when he needs it. However, I usually leave it to his acupuncturist.

From the moment he was born – in order for me to focus on my duties of nurturing and comforting – I have entrusted his medical care to the people I hand-selected to be his health care providers, including an acupuncturist who is a Pediatric Specialist. She has treated him for everything from infantile fever, to heat rashes, to sinus and lung congestion, and digestive discomfort. In fact, Chinese medicine has been the first line of defense for our household each and every time we’ve been confronted with illness.

Those of you who have received acupuncture treatment before are probably now wondering: how do you get the kids to stay still long enough for acupuncture? Well, the answer is: we don’t. The way that acupuncture is practiced on children is very different than on adults. The time in which we generally retain the needles is very short comparatively, and there are methods such as Tui Na medical massage or Shonishin techniques that use the same understanding of the body to treat disease, but without the needles.

Certain conditions require more than acupuncture. Chinese herbal therapy is very effective against common pediatric disorders. The correct intervention at the appropriate time can relieve symptoms immediately, accelerate the process of healing, and prevent the illness from causing further and future damage. The combination of acupuncture and herbs is a great way to ensure that children get over their illnesses quickly and as comfortably as possible.

It is important to find a practitioner who is trained and qualified to administer acupuncture and Chinese herbs specifically for pediatrics and the treatment of children. Much like there are different specialists in allopathic medicine, there are different standards of training in Chinese medicine as well.

Prior to having my own child, I always felt blessed that I could help my pediatric patients and my nieces, nephews, and cousins whenever the need arose. Now that I have the responsibility of safeguarding the health of my son, I realize what a blessing it truly is to understand the power of this medicine. Here are some of the more common conditions that acupuncture and Chinese herbs can effectively treat:

Cough
Allergies
Fever
Asthma
ADD and ADHD
Urinary Tract Infections
Bed Wetting
Recurrent Ear and Sinus Infections
Digestive Issues
Constipation
Rashes
Colic
Night terrors
Failure to thrive
Sprained ankles and other sports/play related injuries

If you have a little one in your life whom you feel may benefit from Chinese medicine and would like more information, please don’t hesitate to ask. I am available to answer any of your questions about Pediatrics and the treatment for kids using Chinese Medicine.