In my practice, I work towards bringing the child back to his or her innate well being with the use of acupuncture, herbal medicine and nutritional counseling. For thousands of years, Chinese medicine has been proven to successfully treat children’s ailments. This form of healing has a deep understanding of the physiology of children and the continual growth and development of their organs.
For example, according to Chinese Medicine, before the age of six, the digestive system is inherently vulnerable. Not digesting food properly is one of the main causes of many childhood illnesses, such as ear infections, asthma and stomachaches. Addressing the digestion system is vital to a child’s healthy immune system. Yet, this is commonly overlooked if the connection between these common childhood ailments and digestion is not understood.
I realize the importance of building trust with my young patients. I always tell the child that I will never do anything to hurt them and I live up to my word by using a popular Japanese style of pediatrics acupuncture called shonishin. In this style of acupuncture, I do not insert needles but rather hold special tools over the acupuncture point to unblock and activate energy along meridians. Meridians are the lines of energy running through the body that have acupuncture points on them. This style is very effective. I use this non-insertion style of acupuncture on adults as well who have an aversion to needles.
Conditions that I treat in children are:
Allergies, sinus congestion, respiratory issues, frequent colds, sleeping issues, insomnia, nightmares, night terrors, ADD, ADHD, Autism (ASD), Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), anxiety, bed wetting, digestive issues, acid reflux, nausea, vomiting, constipation, skin issues, rashes, eczema, ear infections, teething pain, body pain, growing pains, teens-menstruation issues, painful period, heavy or light period, PMS, emotional or behavioral difficulties, acne and the stress of being a teenager.
Treating children with acupuncture and natural herbal medicine is very rewarding. Not only do they feel better, but they are also getting exposure to Oriental Medicine at a very young age. One of the hurdles we face is that many people in this country grew up steeped in the Western Medicine system and only turn to acupuncture after they have exhausted all other options. With early exposure to acupuncture, my hope is that when these children grow up they will turn to acupuncture when appropriate and not use it as a course of last resort.
Ashley Herrin, D.O.M., A.P.