Acupuncture for Kids
Acupuncture is a form of an alternative medicine in which fine needles are inserted into the body. It is a traditional Chinese medicine that was used mainly on kids. Acupuncture has a variety of advantages for kids with health problems. The biggest advantage of using this type of medication is that it has very few side effects. Many children are sensitive to different types of medications, but with acupuncture, there are no side effects of medications. Another advantage acupuncture medication is there are fewer doctors’ visits as compared to the other types of medications.
More than a Pain Reliever
Acupuncture is very safe when handled by a well-trained practitioner. A study involving 450 children from birth to the age of 17 was conducted. These children who had acupuncture found the technique to be safe when handled by trained personnel. Moreover, many people think that acupuncture is just for pain. However, it also acts as a natural pain killer. This is because it encourages the release of endorphins which is the body’s natural pain killer. Acupuncture is effective in helping children with a variety of issues, some of which include;
- Sleep problems: Acupuncture helps in promoting relaxation, which in turn helps the kids to fall asleep. Sleeping at night can be very difficult especially if the day’s happenings are still in your head. Acupuncture helps kids in getting satisfactory sleep.
- Anxiety: Acupuncture also helps in controlling anxiety depending on where the needle goes. It causes the nervous system to produce chemicals which act as painkillers, giving the body a natural ability to heal itself and stimulates the part of the brain that controls emotions.
- Fatigue: Acupuncture increases the production of serotonin, a chemical which helps in sleep. It increases one’s mood and helps in treating chronic conditions that may result to fatigue.
- Headaches: the needle points where acupuncture is used are usually near the nerves in the body. When the needle enters the body, it stimulates the nerves to release of hormones such as endorphins, which in turn triggers the body to respond. Acupuncture relives migraines and tension headaches.
- Reflux, nausea and stomach pains: Acupuncture is effective for nausea, whether it is because of pregnancy or motion sickness in travelers. In addition to that, acupuncture is good for stomach pains in that it nourishes the stomach organs and reduce inflammation in the stomach hence improving digestive functions.
- Bone and joint pain: inserting a needle in the body leads to the production of hormone cortisol, which is essential in controlling inflammation. This in turn reduces bone and joint pain in the body.
- Asthma and allergies: acupuncture reduces airway resistance in people suffering from asthma.
- Drooling: drooling is caused by excessive saliva in the mouth. Mouth acupuncture helps in controlling drooling in kids.
- Bedwetting
Furthermore, acupuncture is used in the treatments of the above conditions by gently inserting needles, using electric and laser stimulation, and through acupressure, which is a gentle massage of the points. In addition to that, some of the conditions which are said acupuncture has proven effective in treating include the following;
- Acupuncture is effective in high and low blood pressure management. Acupuncture specialists insert needles in the human body with the aim of balancing one’s energy.
- Help in the treatment of some gastric conditions, with the main one being peptic ulcers.
- Help in making painful periods manageable.
- Acupuncture has also proven effective in treating chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.
- World Health Organization has also proved effective in reducing dental pains.
- It has also been used in inducing labor in pregnant women.
- It also reduces the risk of stroke.
Different points in the body are selected for acupuncture to achieve different effects. Acupuncture done on the back will have different effects with mouth or stomach acupuncture. In order to reduce some of these symptoms, you can either calm or stimulate these points on the body.
However, in some instances, you may find that children are reluctant to needles. The pain of feeling pain after being injected using a needle can cause discomforts and scare children away. However, doctors should take it as their responsibility to calm children before an acupuncture by explaining how this method of treatment is different from the regular needle. In addition to that, acupuncture needles are different from the other needles that are used in drawing blood. Needles used to draw blood are painful when inserted in the body and are somehow big as compared to the acupuncture needles. Acupuncture needles are hair-thin and are nearly painless.
For things that are anxiety-provoking or too painful, acupressure can be introduced. If kids find acupuncture uncomfortable and painful, they can be taught some acupressure therapies that can come handy at home. For children who are extremely sensitive to needles, laser acupuncture can work well for them.
A complementary Treatment
Acupuncture is not used as a replacement of traditional medical treatments, and it cannot treat everything in the body. If you have seizures or diabetes, you will still need to use the prescribed medications to help in controlling the medical condition. Studies have shown that using acupuncture has been and is still helpful in treating children and teenagers with complex conditions such as chronic pains or brain injuries.
In summary, acupuncture started as a Chinese method of treatment. In the recent times, many people including doctors have adopted this method of treatment in helping control some health conditions in children, teenagers and even adults. For instance, acupuncture is effective in dealing with fatigue and anxiety in that it helps in treating chronic conditions that may result to fatigue and helps in controlling anxiety depending on where the needle goes. Consequently, acupuncture also helps in solving sleep-related problems, drooling, bedwetting, nauseas and bone and joint pain. In older adults, this method of treatment can help in reducing the risk of stroke, managing painful periods, chemotherapy-induced labor and inducing labor. Acupuncture needles are also thin and nearly painless, and there is no reason to worry. Therefore, acupuncture has proven to be effective in the treatment of various conditions.