Paediatric Acupuncture In Norwich

Paediatric Acupuncture In Norwich

Paediatric acupuncture is a wonderful gentle and non- invasive treatment used to support a wide range of childhood conditions. Paediatric acupuncture is a recognised specialism within Chinese Medicine. A child’s Qi is so vital and new that minimal intervention is often required and therefore the treatment modality is quite different to treating adults.

Often parents and carers are concerned their child would not consider acupuncture due to a fear of needles. However, non-needle techniques can be used, so your child’s treatment does not actually need to involve needles at all. The treatment room should be a place that a child looks forward to coming to. A place where they can relax, talk, be inquisitive, even a little playful, or if they would rather just sit and be quiet and enjoy their time to breathe.

Paediatric acupuncture aims to re-balance a child’s Qi (their energy) to ensure there are no blocks, deficiency’s or too much fullness which could be interrupting the flow of Qi and causing unwanted symptoms which lead to disease. Chinese Medicine looks at the child as a whole and not just the symptoms the child is presenting with. It is seen that each symptom a child presents with relates to one another, be it physical or mental. Therefore, a thorough health history will be taken, and observations of the child in the treatment room will help make a thorough diagnosis and treatment plan. Although two children may be presenting with the same symptoms – each child may be treated very differently due to different underlying causes.

Non-needle techniques which may be used during a treatment are:

Tui- Na –  gentle massage strokes developed from a mother’s natural instinct to stroke her child. This may involve gentle stroking of a channel along arms, fingers, across the head depending on the aim of the massage. These techniques are often shown to parents and carers to continue using between treatments to help the child improve. A wonderful tool to strengthen the bond between a parent and child and often improve sleeping habits.

Shonishin- gentle tapping and stroking of areas of the body to stimulate a Child’s Qi.

Moxa – using a warm stick of mug wort, this may be held close to acupuncture points and areas on the body to warm and tonify.

Press Sphere – These are little stick on seeds and small round balls that can be used on acupuncture points on the body as an alternative to needles.

Pyonex needles – very tiny stick on needles used under supervision in the treatment room to stimulate acupuncture points. These are very gentle and often children enjoy having a sticker on a magic point!

Cupping – small silicone suction cups which may be used with or without oil to gently move Qi to an area. This is particularly effective when used on the stomach to help relieve constipation. Children love the noise the cups make – some calling them “fish kisses!”

Dietary / lifestyle advice – It may be that from a Chinese medicine perspective a few changes need to be made to the child’s routine, schedule or diet to help them improve.

If your child is happy to have needles during their treatment depending on their age, very few needles are used. A typical session for young children would usually only need one or two needles, and these would not be retained. Rather very gently tapped superficially onto the skin and then quickly removed again. Children usually find this quite playful and are easily distracted when asked to use some magic words to help the magic along.

There are some extremely positive benefits to introducing acupuncture into your child’s life such as helping to reduce reliance on medications for some recurrent infections or potential ailments which could become chronic if the underlying cause is not addressed. It’s a wonderful way to help your child through some of the big transitions in their life and help rebalance their Qi through adolescence. A child is very much in the Yang phase of their life, with their Qi in constant flux and a tendency to go out of balance. Help support and relax through these times which many children face throughout school life and growing up.

An example of some of the common ailment’s acupuncture can be used to support are:

  • Bed wetting
  • Skin conditions
  • Recurrent infections (Ears, Eyes, Throat, UTI)
  • Food allergies and intolerance's
  • Behavioural issues such as hyperactivity.
  • Constipation
  • Sleep problems
  • Chronic cough and asthma
  • Nausea
  • Headaches
  • Anxiety and low mood

This list is not exhaustive, so if you would like to find out if treatment would be suitable for your child please contact [email protected] or call 07908567503.

Your child does not need to have a specific set of symptoms to receive acupuncture. It may be that you think your child just needs a little support throughout some of the big transitions that take place during a child’s life to ensure they are happy and thriving. Acupuncture is a wonderful preventative treatment to keep a child’s Qi in balance.

You can find out more about research into Paediatric acupuncture for various conditions by visiting this website

To book an appointment with Liz press here: 

Practitioners
Liz Douglas Lic.Ac. BSc (Hons)

Liz is a licensed acupuncture practitioner, gaining a BSc (Hons) Degree in Acupuncture from the College of Integrated Chinese Medicine (CICM) in Reading in 2019. She practices an integrated approach of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Five Element Constitutional Acupuncture. Liz specialises in treating children, holding a Diploma in Paediatric Acupuncture (2022). Liz is fully regulated and insured with the British Acupuncture Council (BAcC)

Liz has a special interest in a variety of conditions, particularly post-operative pain, circulatory conditions, digestive complaints, headaches and migraines, menopause and menstrual health. Liz enjoys being able to offer multi-bed treatments to make frequent treatment more affordable to those who would otherwise be unable to access holistic healthcare.


Liz uses a combined approach of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Five Element Acupuncture. Classical Five Element acupuncture is based on the Five Elements of nature: fire, earth, metal, water and wood. Each of these five elements is within each of us and symptoms and diseases occur when these elements become unbalanced. Treatment using the Five Elements deals with the underlying causes
of disease rather than just treating the symptoms. The aim of Five Element acupuncture is to bring each of the elements back into balance to prevent disease from reoccurring.

Liz believes a collaborated approach to care improves the health and wellbeing of individuals and so is always happy to speak with your other healthcare providers and work alongside them and with you reviewing treatment often to ensure your symptoms are improving and you have all the information available to you to take ownership of your health.


When Liz became a mother of two this sparked her interest in how acupuncture could help young people. Liz recently completed a Diploma in Paediatric Acupuncture and now specialises in the treatment of children and young people. Liz will treat babies from newborn and uses a very gentle approach and has many non-needle techniques to help restore balance in the body. This may include Tui-Na massage which can be taught to parents / carers to use at home and in-between treatments. A childs Qi is so vital that minimal intervention is needed. Usually only one or two needles may be used on very small children if at all. Smallstick-on seeds or tiny pyonex can be used instead if the child isn’t sure about having needles. Liz aims to make the child as comfortable and relaxed as possible, hoping that acupuncture is a time in the week the child looks forward to. There is a collection of toys and books in the treatment room and she is always happy to speak to the parent before the consultation to talk though any concerns, and anything that would be easier to discuss without the child present. Liz fully understands how much the wellbeing of a child can have an effect on the whole family.

Liz holds a space for everyone to come and take a breath and work together towards restoring balance. If you have any questions or would like to know if treatment would be suitable for your child, please do not hesitate to email Liz to arrange a phone call at [email protected].


Liz is a member of the international Hub of Paediatric Acupuncture (HOPA) which has a great section for parents explaining the benefits of acupuncture for children.

You can also find out more about the common ailments acupuncture can help support for children and what to expect from a treatment on my website
www.ldacu.co.uk

Therapies Duration Price
Pre School Initial Acupuncture 0-9 Years  1 hour £50
Children's Acupuncture Initial 6-16 Years 1.5 hrs £65
Pre School and Children's Follow up 45 minutes £40
Acupuncture Private Initial 1.5 hrs £70
Acupuncture Private Follow up 1 hour £52
Affordable Multibed Clinic 1 hour 15 minutes £38 | Unwaged £32
Cupping Private 45 minutes £42
Fertility Acupuncture 1.5 hrs (1st appt) (then Multibed) £70 (Multibed £38)
IVF Transfer Acupuncture 1 hour £52
Pregnancy Acupuncture 1 hour 15 minutes(1st appt) (then Multibed) £52 (Multibed £38)

To book an appointment with Liz press here: 

Monday (Multi-bed) 2pm to 9pm
Tuesday (Private) 8.45am to 2pm and  (Multi-bed) 2pm to 9.30pm
Wednesday (Multi-bed)  8.45am to 2.30pm 

For more information visit Liz's website.