Pediatric Acupuncture

While acupuncture continues to gain traction as a treatment among adults in the U.S, most parents haven't considered acupuncture as a valid treatment for their child's ailments. However, acupuncture is just as safe and effective for children as it is for anyone else! A couple of key differences for the treatment of a minor would include smaller needles for comfort, and a shorter treatment time. They need less needle retention time as their bodies are adept at healing quickly with less intervention.

Studies that look at pediatric acupuncture as a treatment for specific ailments are limited, but the studies done so far show intriguing results for how bodies react to acupuncture at various stages of life. Additionally, acupuncture can be a great pain management tool for young children who may not have the words to describe what they are feeling or how they are hurting.

Several studies have observed the impact of pediatric acupuncture on a variety of specific ailments. Here are some of the ways acupuncture can help children:

Acupuncture has been shown to be beneficial for addressing postoperative pain management, in particular for nausea/ vomiting caused by general anesthetic. This has potential to include chemo-related nausea and vomiting and is currently used within children's hospitals such as Lurie Children's in Illinois.

Acupuncture for children has also been found to ease chronic pain, mitigate symptoms associated with seasonal allergies, assist in relieving constipation, manage migraine discomfort, reduce infant distress, and even improve nocturnal enuresis (involuntary bed wetting).

Most importantly, acupuncture is still safe, even for your little ones! Based on these studies, the most common side effect noted was puncture site redness.

If you are looking for an alternative or additional treatment for your children, talk to them about the possibility of adding acupuncture.