Help Your Child Thrive Naturally with Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine
Acupuncture for Children in Tempe
Do you have a child who isn’t necessarily ill, but isn’t exactly thriving? Do you have a baby who suffers from colic, reflux or eczema? Or a young child who has frequent colds and ear infections, asthma, allergies or symptoms of ADHD? Or perhaps a teenager who struggles with anxiety, IBS or menstrual problems?
If your child has been through the traditional medical system and been given every antibiotic, drug treatment or therapy possible, but still isn’t getting results, then acupuncture and Chinese medicine could be the solution you’ve been looking for.
Doctors in China have been using acupuncture and herbal medicine to treat children for thousands of years and it has withstood the test of time and is still a highly effective form of treatment for children suffering from a whole host of ailments.
Traditionally, acupuncture was used for children suffering from acute conditions, such as fevers and infections. While it can still be used to great effect for this, in modern society, acupuncture really shines at treating children with more chronic conditions that prevent them from thriving.
What Can Pediatric Acupuncture Treat?
Just like acupuncture for adults, acupuncture for children can treat so many ailments, it’s impossible to list them all. Below is a small sampling of some of the things we can help your child work on with acupuncture:
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Frequent colds/low immunity
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Chronic ear infections
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Allergies and congestion
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Skin problems (eczema, rashes, hives)
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Lung issues (asthma, bronchitis, cough)
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Night terrors/bed wetting
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Sinus infections and headaches
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Digestive issues (IBS, constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pain, reflux, colic)
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Aches and pains (growing pains, sports-related injuries, arthritis)
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Mood and behavioral problems (anxiety, depression, ADHD/ADD)
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Autism spectrum disorders
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Menstrual problems
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And so much more! Just ask us, acupuncture probably treats it!
How We Can Help Your Child
We look at your child in a holistic manner and take into account their unique makeup and health history to find the underlying cause of their ailments. We will work with you and your child in partnership to create the best treatment plan possible that addresses their underlying condition as well as treats the symptoms that manifest from said condition.
Each personalized treatment plan could include any of the following healing modalities for your child:
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Gentle acupuncture (non-needle techniques using lasers available if desired)
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Herbal medicine
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Dietary and lifestyle changes
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Child-friendly mindfulness techniques
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Pediatric Tui Na (Chinese massage)
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Acupressure and ear seeds
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Environmental medicine (cleaning up of air, water and EMF sources)
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Other natural remedies as needed
What if My Child Hates Needles?
We get this question a lot! A lot of kids are skeptical of needles because of past experiences with shots and blood draws. But we assure you, acupuncture needles are nothing like the syringes used in those procedures. Acupuncture needles are hair fine and we use especially fine needles for children. In fact, you can fit about 15 kid-friendly acupuncture needles into a single syringe, they’re that small!
Each acupressure point is massaged and tapped to desensitize the skin before the tiny needle quickly gets inserted. In fact, it is this tapping technique we use that has us change the name of “acupuncture” to “taps”. This helps to take the stigma and fear out of using the word “needle”.
In babies and very young children, we select only one or two acupuncture points to administer taps. The “tap” is quickly inserted and removed after just a few seconds. Babies and young children respond very quickly to treatment and therefore, taps do not need to be retained for any longer than this.
The older the child, the longer the taps are retained. This could be anywhere from 5 minutes in younger children to 20 minutes in teenagers.
Because each acupuncture point is desensitized and we use such hair fine needles, receiving “taps” is as painless as possible. In fact, most children don’t even notice the tap going in at all and some are so surprised that the tap didn’t hurt, they get excited and want pictures taken to show all of their friends at school!
Does Your Child Have to Receive Acupuncture?
We have a variety of non-needle treatment options available (including laser therapy, microcurrent, acupressure and more) so acupuncture is optional. However, acupuncture (taps) is one of the quickest and most effective ways to get results, so we always encourage children to try it out. On the first visit, we show your child just how simple and painless a tap can actually be and most are excited to try it out.
That being said, if your child is scared or doesn’t want to try taps for whatever reason, we will respect their wishes. We want to build trust with your child and will not administer any treatment on them if they are not comfortable with it. We can use lasers, pediatric massage or any other type of non-needle technique instead and get similarly effective results.
Can Your Child Receive Allopathic Medicine in Conjunction with Acupuncture?
Absolutely! Chinese medicine is not meant to be a substitute for traditional Western medical treatment, but it serves as a wonderful adjunct treatment. You can use the two styles of medicine in conjunction to very great effect for your child. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine help to stimulate the body’s natural healing response, making it just plain function better and more efficiently. Combine this with the potent remedies of Western medicine, and we can create a truly integrated, balanced treatment for your child.