Acupuncture for Children

Acupuncture for children is becoming an increasingly common treatment for many common health concerns. Many parents are turning to acupuncture to reestablish or maintain their child’s health.

Is acupuncture for children the same as for adults?

When it comes to children and acupuncture, make sure you do a bit of research first. Look for someone who is not only registered in acupuncture, but also has done some training in treating children specifically. Once you’ve done that, get excited—because there are two big benefits to kids acupuncture. The first is that acupuncture works just as well on kids as it does on adults, and the second is that the needles don’t have to be left in as long for kids. In babies the needles will be taken straight out after insertion. In a lot of cases acupressure can be used instead of needles.

What does acupuncture for children look like?

Treating children is different to treating adults for a few different reasons. Children are fast growing and changing and they tend to develop illness quite quickly. It is not uncommon that a child goes from being completely healthy to feeling really sick in a matter of a couple of hours. This also usually means that they have a very quick response to an acupuncture treatment. Numerous bodily systems, like the immune system, the organ systems and the central nervous system are not fully developed in children. That means that we have to approach treatment differently.

We have a lot of tools we can use when it comes to children and many of them don’t even involve needles! We can use massage techniques, like Shonishin or Tui Na, use cupping or press tacks. Another favourite tool to use with children is a laser, completely pain free method of treating.

How do we diagnose children?

Children can’t usually tell us in detail what is wrong with them so the diagnostic part of treatment is also different. Instead of talking about it we can for instance look at the vein on their index finger, their constitutional strengths and weaknesses and we can feel their pulse. An important part of diagnosis of course is talking to the parents about what they are observing in their child.

How old does my child need to be for acupuncture?

Children can be treated at any age, from babies to 18.

Will my child be scared of the needles?

It is important when working with children to make them feel comfortable and at ease with treatment. We can let kids watch acupuncture being conducted on adults first as a way to ease the fear of needles. The needles we use for kids are the size of a  strand of hair and not painful. Most kids are surprisingly open to having acupuncture done to them.

Do you offer acupuncture for children?

At Natural Solutions Acupuncture we love treating kids. We’ve done extra training in children’s acupuncture so your child is in good hands with us.

How can I make an appointment for my child?

You can book an appointment for your child online here or if you have any questions please call us on 0414 067 874 or email info@naturalsolutionsacupuncture.com.au.