Pediatrics
Traditional
Chinese Medicine for ChildrenTraditional
Chinese Medicine for Children, or Pediatric TCM,
has been
helping children feel better for thousands of
years. It
is a safe and drug-free health care alternative
for kids.
It can be very effective in treating both acute
and chronic
conditions and is an excellent form of pediatric
medicine:
safe, drug-free, holistic and curative.
Pediatric
TCM includes acupuncture or shonishin , moxibustion, cupping, Chinese
herbal medicine,
and TCM dietary therapy. Please see Treatments page on this website for more information on these modalities.
A Long Tradition
Pediatric
TCM has a history of continuous development over
the last
2,500 years. During this time principles of
diagnosis and
treatment of disease have been refined to a high
degree
of accuracy by the cumulative experience of
centuries of
Chinese doctors.
Traditional
Chinese Medicine works on very different
principles from
Western Medicine, principles that may seem strange
when
viewed from a mechanistic standpoint, and yet
Traditional
Chinese Medicine is the world's second largest
medical system
serving 1.5 billion people worldwide.
Common
pediatric conditions for which Pediatric TCM is
regarded
as effective:
Respiratory
- Flu
and colds
- Cough
- Pneumonia
- Asthma
Digestive
disorders
- Stomach
aches
- Constipation
- Abdominal
pain
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Teething
- Nutritional
impairment
Sleep
- Insomnia
- Bedwetting
- Sleepwalking
- Lethargy
Constitution
problems
- Hyperactivity
- Dyslexia
- Learning
disabilities,
including ADHD
- Headaches
Insomnia
- Failure
to
thrive
Other
benefits of PediatricTCM
It
is quite common for a child's well being to show
marked
improvement in other aspects of their daily lives apart from their initial reason for seeking treatment.
It has
been noted that a child's spirit, happiness,
energy, and
vitality blossom. In this way, Pediatric TCM can
be beneficial
for easing children though the many changes they
have to
go through in their lives.
What
happens during a Pediatric TCM treatment session?
The
first visit takes between 30 to 45 minutes. After
establishing
the general nature of your child's complaint, Heather
spends some time closely observing the child,
taking a pulse, looking at the tongue, and talking
to the
child about what is going on. Even the youngest
child responds
well to this. Through looking, asking, listening,
and touching,
enough data can usually be gathered to make a good
working
diagnosis according to the principles of Pediatric
TCM.
From this, a treatment plan is developed and
discussed with
you and your child.
Subsequent consultations, lasting between 15
and 30
minutes per child, start with a few questions and a
brief
reexamination to determine your child's progress,
followed
by the treatment for the day.
The
number of treatments that will be necessary vary
depending
on the severity and duration of the condition, as
well as
the strength and constitution of your child.
