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

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