FAQs

Treating your child

Eczema
Acupuncture can take the heat out of the eczema and provide incredible relief. With regular treatment it can save a child from the potential misery of itching, scratching, bleeding skin, steroid creams which can thin the skin, oils, lotions and scarred skin. I may also use effective Chinese herbal skin creams which DO NOT CONTAIN STEROIDS to provide additional relief from scratching and to help heal the skin.

Childhood asthma
Asthma can be very serious and both physically and emotionally debilitating for a child. Acupuncture aims to improve lung function thereby reducing the frequency and intensity of symptoms. It will also improve the immune system to reduce the number of colds their child catches, as colds can set off asthma attacks. Dietary advice also plays a part in the Chinese approach to treating asthma.

Digestive disorders
Acupuncture is very successful at treating digestive problems such as acid reflux, constipation or diarrhoea which, when prolonged or recurring, can be very uncomfortable for children.

Hayfever in children
More common in older children and teenagers, acupuncture can be very effective especially given before the season starts and if treated one year, symptoms are often noticeably better the following year, with less sneezing, nasal discharge, itchy eyes, etc, reducing the need for traditional antihistamines and nasal sprays.

Other treatable conditions
Acupuncture treats the underlying cause of a condition, not just the symptoms, so it can provide solutions where traditional treatments sometimes fail. I have had success treating a variety of children’s problems including nasal catarrh, weak constitution, bedwetting, otitius media, emotional and developmental problems, stuttering/stammering, and verrucae, to name just a few.

My child’s scared of needles. Can you reassure them that it won’t hurt?
Children are very sensitive, but usually respond very quickly to acupuncture so only a small stimulation over a relatively short period is necessary. I also practice shonishin, a Japanese style of acupuncture for children where, instead of needles, special tools are used to stroke or tap the skin on acupuncture points. On a child’s first visit I tend to concentrate on non-insertive techniques to gain their trust. I’ll always involve your child in the treatment and will never do anything they don’t want. If the child is too scared of needles I will not use them, but many are very brave and happy to give it a try. Special tiny needles are used, so it feels like a tickle rather than a needle being inserted.