Pediatric Acupuncture
A gentle, noninvasive and effective treatment for children.
Chinese Medicine is quickly gaining interest and popularity as parents seek to manage pediatric health issues in a safe, cost-effective manner.
We help many children get relief from digestive issues, eczema, allergies, anxiety, bedwetting, headaches and some congenital issues. Even if you are at your wits end with a colicky baby, we can treat that too!
Our skilled acupuncture physicians use a variety of techniques to help children become comfortable with the idea of needles while also offering non-needle treatments such as ATP Resonance Biotherapy, O3 Regenerative Therapy and laser treatments.
From allergies to tummy aches, acupuncture and herbal therapy are shown to be a safe, gentle, natural and effective approach to pediatric care.
Holistic care for kids
From newborns to teenagers, acupuncture and herbs can be a gentle and effective approach to your child’s health care. Our experienced practitioners can help your child eliminate digestive problems, provide additional immune support, offset behavioral problems and make sleepless nights a thing of the past.
Our pediatric treatments can involve a variety of techniques and are not just limited to the use of acupuncture. Shonishin is a specialized style of noninvasive pediatric acupuncture developed specifically for infants and children up to age 7. Broken down, the word shonishin means “sho” little, “ni”children, “shin” needle. Although needles can be used as your child’s health progresses, we start slow with noninvasive treatments involving gentle rhythmic/tap/pressure massage techniques.
Cold laser treatments can also be used to stimulate acupuncture points without the use of needles. The words ” cold laser” can be misleading as it is neither cold nor hot. In truth, the patient feels nothing during this treatment. Our laser is a non-surgical medical device that provides infrared wavelengths that penetrate the skin’s surface to access acupuncture points.
Our practitioners will also instruct parents how to continue this care with their child at home for daily maintenance as well as address nutritional and lifestyle changes. Herbal medicine, specially designed for the unique needs of children, will help maintain progress and benefits.
The warm up & what to expect
To start the treatment process smoothly, we suggest our parents begin introducing the idea of acupuncture treatment at home to their little ones. Beginning this process at home can better prepare and support children for their upcoming treatment. Avoid using the words “needles”, ” poke”, “pinch”, or ” pins” as children often associate these words with a vaccination or hospital experience and may cause unnecessary fear.
In our clinic, we prefer to refer to pediatric acupuncture as ” taps” because there is a lot of tapping on the skin involved (or massage, or rubbing) even before any needle is used.
During the child’s first visit, we will spend a considerable amount of time discussing the child’s health history and while we have many items of distraction in our office we suggest parents bring something special to help entertain their child during this part of the visit. This is especially helpful for children under the age of 5.
For chronically ill children or fear of doctors, we suggest also bringing an item of special comfort such as a teddy bear or blanket. Some of our little ones even dress up in costumes to add an extra layer of ” strength” for their visit. We assure you that in 1-2 treatments such things will no longer be necessary as many of our little ones look forward to their treatment and even hop up on the tables ready to begin without instruction. Most kids are eager to get involved in learning how to ” tap”!
Past the age of 5, we will begin to introduce acupuncture needle treatments to kids more readily as they are much more tolerant and receptive after this age. Again, we will not force these treatments on your little ones, but rather ease them into other styles of treatments we feel best suited for their recovery and health.
What can Pediatric Acupuncture treat?
- ADD/ADHD
- Allergies
- Anxiety
- Asthma
- Autistic Spectrum Disorders
- Behavioral Problems
- Bedwetting
- Cerebral Palsy
- Colic
- Cold/Flu Symptoms
- Constipation
- Digestive Disorders
- Depression
- Diarrhea
- Eczema
- Failure to Thrive
- Food Allergies
- GERD
- Growing Pains
- Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease
- Headaches
- mmune System Issues
- Mood Issues
- Obesity
- Pneumonia
- RSV
- Recurrent Infections
- Skin Issues
- Strep Throat
- Stuttering
- Type I Diabetes
*Results may vary