Acupuncture and your Child’s HealthAcupuncture may not
be the first method of treatment that comes to mind when deciding
which path to follow for your child’s health. In fact the
idea of having your child subjected to multiple needle placements
may be horrifying to you. But it shouldn’t be. Acupuncture,
one of the modalities in Oriental medicine is a safe, natural
and effective alternative to other more traditional methods.
Of course we must remember that complimentary medicine is not
a replacement for sound allopathic care. Obviously if you are
in an emergency situation you would seek the nearest emergency
hospital rather than alternative care.
We must also keep in mind that while allopathic medicine
is outstanding in diagnostics, surgery and emergency
medicine it has a more
challenging time with chronic degenerative or idiopathic (unknown
cause) health issues.
Complete medical models like traditional Chinese and Aruveydic
medicine are able to manage and at times resolve these chronic
degenerative auto immune diseases such as fibromyalgia, lupus
and rheumatoid arthritis.
Acupuncture is an excellent alternative for those patients
who have maximized allopathic medical care and are seeking
further
treatment without the use of drugs or surgery.
As a parent you want nothing more than for your child to
be healthy. Acupuncture can be an integral part of regaining
and
maintaining
your child’s health.
Children experience many stressors on a daily basis.
These stressors can affect their life force or chi
(qi). Some
stressors include
accidents and falls, exposure to environmental and
chemical hazards, improper diet, poor sleep patterns,
and emotions.
Some children experience symptoms that are unable to
be diagnosed, especially stomach and lower abdominal
pain.
These symptoms
are generally brought about by stress. Acupuncture
is an excellent technique to reduce stress, just
one needle
can
release enough
endorphins to ease a younger child to restful sleep.
Acupuncture is a procedure in which very fine needles
are inserted into the skin at strategic points
on the body
to relieve pain
and treat disease. Acupuncture was developed centuries
ago according to the theory that energy flows through
channels between the
surface of the body and internal organs. Pain and
disease are the result of these channels becoming
blocked.
By placing needles
at one end of the channel or the other, healthy
energy can
be restored.
Western medicine’s view is that the placement of acupuncture
needles at specific pain points releases endorphins and opioids,
the body’s natural painkillers, and perhaps immune system
cells as well as neurotransmitters and neurohormones in the brain.
This may explain why acupuncture is effective
in the treatment of ADHD and other attention
deficient
disorders.
In a study
conducted at Children’s Hospital in Boston, and published in Pediatrics
(Volume 105(4) supplement of April 2000), 70% of children who
had acupuncture felt the treatment had helped their symptoms.
Fifty-nine percent of patients’ parents agreed that acupuncture
had helped with symptoms. Only one of the 30 children who responded
directly to the study’s interviewers said the treatment
made symptoms worse. Two-thirds of children rated the therapy
as pleasant.
For very young children and for those unwilling
to receive the needles, the treatment strategy
varies
from acupressure
and massage to the use of magnets. Other
choices for treatment of childhood issues such as skin
ailments, colic,
sore throat, tooth pain and chronic ear infections
are
homeopathy, herbs, nutritional
counseling and energetic techniques that
are completely noninvasive.
As always choose a licensed practitioner
who is board certified in the modality
in which
you seek.
For
acupuncture and
oriental medicine national board certification
is provided by the NCCAOM. You can find a certified acupuncture
physician on their website www.nccaom.org.
As a parent you want nothing more than for your child to be
healthy. Children experience many forms of stress daily from
accidents and falls, or exposure to environmental and chemical
hazards, improper diet, poor sleep patterns, and emotions.
Acupuncture can be
an integral part of regaining and maintaining your child’s
health and is an excellent technique to reduce stress. Just
one needle can release enough endorphins to ease
a younger child to restful sleep. Acupuncture is a safe, natural
and effective alternative to other more traditional methods of
healthcare.
Christina Captain, DOM, AP, is a doctor of oriental medicine
and the owner of the Family Healing Center. Her clinic
is located in
Sarasota
at 1219
East Avenue South, Suite 104. Please call 941-951-1119 or visit
www.familyhealingcntr.com.
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