Acupuncture for Pediatrics
With the change of the season approaching we are now entering the season of sniffles, head colds and the flu. It is an awful season for adults, but for kids, it can be really devastating. Missed school days leave little ones behind. Not to mention missed school days are missed work days for mom and dad. And sickness is easily spread to siblings and parents alike, oftentimes making for a very sick and unhappy household at least a few times during the season.
Many parents are aware of acupuncture for head colds and immunity for themselves, but remain unaware of the benefits of acupuncture for the littles. Or they worry the idea of needles may scare their children. Fortunately there are tools and techniques that can be used which are just as effective and don’t even involve needles! Acupressure with special tools, called shonishin, on certain points have an extremely powerful effect and help reduce the symptoms and durations of a cold. Additionally when the kids are able to fight colds and sickness on their own, you are preventing the littles from having to go on a course of antibiotics which wreaks havoc on their little digestive systems. Allowing the kids to fight the cold themselves helps boost their immunity in the long run, keeps the doctors visits to a minimum, and keeps antibiotics out of their sensitive and growing systems.
As a new parent myself, I am a big believer in boosting my son’s immunity by allowing him to come into contact with all sorts of different germs out there. Recently he was playing with a child who had a runny nose and what do you know, but the next day he woke up with a runny nose too, of course! The first thing I did was to start a round of herbs myself so that he could reap the benefit through breastmilk, and then I applied acupressure to specific points on his body. I had been worried it would move to his chest and at that point, I would need to take time to bring him to the doctor who would ultimately put him on antibiotics. While I’m not opposed to antibiotics – they absolutely have their place – if his little body could muster the antibodies to fight this himself, that would be my preference. He woke up the next day without any phlegm in his chest and has been on the mend ever since.
I speak from experience when I say that pediatric acupuncture works! Many people don’t realize that it can be pain free as well. Not only can it help your child’s immunity in the long run, but it is a great way to introduce your kids to alternative healthcare and to help give their little bodies the tools they need to help heal themselves. What is a greater gift?
