Pediatrics
Why Choose Holistic Medicine for My Child?
Perhaps you are a witness to the benefits of Holistic health, wellness and other alternative therapies… Now you can share this powerful healing energy with your children. Or perhaps you are tired of modern medicine not getting it right and your child having been on more antibiotics than your comfortable with.
Or perhaps you have heard about these drug resistant bugs and your pediatrician is reluctant to prescribe any antibiotics for fear of a "super bug epidemic". Well then I suggest an alternative.. a safe, gentle and yet effective herbal remedies that have been used in Asia for thousands of years.
Below is a list of some of common kids' ailments we can treat:
- Colds and flu, cough, sniffles and sore throats
- Belly aches from colic, constipation, diarrhea
- Food sensitivity and nutritional concerns
- Eczema, acne, and other skin conditions
- Attention, social, and cognitive disorders
- Insomnia and related sleep issues, bedwetting
- Ear aches/infections
- Teething pain
- Asthma and allergies
- Weakened immune system
- Headaches and migraines
What to Expect
On the whole, children are robust and extremely receptive to healing. While they get may sick easily, with the right treatment they can recover quickly and flourish. Your child's sessions will be catered to his/her unique needs and may include:
- Full physical exam and assessment (standard with every visit)
- Acupuncture and/or acupressure
- Shonishin (Japanese needle-FREE technique)
- Tui-na (Chinese Therapeutic Massage)
- Essential Oils
- Chinese Herbal prescription
- Homeopathic remedies
- Nutritional Counseling
- Parent Education
Our appointments are on the same schedule as a pediatrician. In each session your child will be weighted and measured. We will discuss upcoming developmental milestones and relevant parenting concerns. She will provide natural, safe, and effective solutions for everything from colic, teething, and baby's first cough, to more complex or chronic conditions that may arise as your baby grows.
While Rachel doesn't personally administer vaccines, she knows these decisions can be overwhelming and can help you weight the pros and cons of each vaccine for your individual child.
Rachel takes the time to thoroughly answer all of your questions; once your child is a patient in our care, you don't have to wait until your next appointment.
Acupuncture for Kids???
Yes! Surprisingly, most children usually don't mind the tiny needles which are only gently and briefly inserted. However, there are many other tools that work great and kids love too… like the electro-stim machines (the tickle machine) or tuning fork , shonishin, acupressure, cupping gun, (the kissing gun), and essential oils. All of which effectively stimulate the acupuncture points. Homeopathy and Chinese herbal remedies, formulated especially to the discerning tastes of children, eliminate the over-use of antibiotics and other harsh medicines while producing great results by working synergistically with the acupuncture or other manual techniques.
A Great Alternative to Acupuncture for Kids
Oriental Medicine provides amazingly effective health solutions for both adults and children. Chinese herbs treat a myriad of symptoms and conditions that often cannot be resolved with western medicine, and acupuncture works synergistically to optimize treatment and bring the whole body into balance.
Most adults can rationalize any fear of needles in order to receive the benefits of acupuncture. But for kids, grown-up mind tricks aren't always so easy. Needles can be scary, even when they don't really involve any pain!
Luckily there's a great alternative to traditional acupuncture that's perfect for needle-shy young children and even infants.
Shonishin is an ancient Japanese treatment that involves gentle, simple external stimulation of meridians- If you're unfamiliar with Oriental medicine, meridians are like a complex highway system flowing through the body with life-force energy, called Qi (pronounced "chee"). Acupuncture and other techniques aim to address excess, deficiencies, and blockages in the flow of Qi through the meridians.
Shonishin is perfect for very young patients for several reasons:
1. Kid-Friendly - Shonishin utilizes special tools that are used to gently touch, brush, press or tap the surface of the skin, and children of all ages usually find Shonishin techniques painless, comforting, and fun.
2. Kid-Specific - Oriental medicine recognizes that physiologically, children just aren't the same as adults. Children's bio-energetic systems aren't fully formed, so the meridians are closer to the surface of their skin than with adults. As a result, a child's Qi is easy to access by stimulating the skin, and kids respond very quickly to Shonishin treatment - fast results are great for kids as well as parents.
3. Understands Kids - Shonishin addresses a common problem practitioners have with treating children - It's not always easy to get in-depth information about symptoms when questioning young patients. The methods of Shonishin precisely diagnose and address symptoms and underlying imbalances without relying heavily on verbal answers. Shonishin practitioners diagnose by palpitating pulses, examining veins in the fingers, studying the colors of the complexion, and observing their eyes, face, and tongue. Very accurate diagnoses can be made without discomfort to the child.
Who Can Benefit?
Shonishin can help harmonize and strengthen a child's vital energy and overall constitution. This technique is used to treat a wide variety of health issues that have both physical and/or emotional symptoms including:
- Colic
- Allergies and asthma
- Coughs and colds
- Digestive problems
- Ear infections
- Bedwetting
- Eczema and hives
- Failure to Thrive syndrome
- Behavioral and/or Developmental concerns
Though not ideal for most adults, Shonishin will benefit the elderly or those with very fragile constitution.
Shonishin Treatments
Your practitioner will design a Shonishin treatment plan based on your child's age, condition and other factors. Typically, treatments are very short in duration, from 5 to 15 or slightly more minutes. The older the child is, the longer treatments are in many cases.
Shonishin is based on the "less is better" approach. In all cases, treatments are very simple and gentle. Parents are often surprised to see dramatic improvements in their child's symptoms after just one treatment, and only a few treatments are usually all it takes for a full recovery.Shonishin At Home
Because Shonishin involves such simple, gentle techniques, parents can learn to treat their child at home. Ask your practitioner how you can provide treatments for prevention or to treatment of a specific illness or general wellness for your child.