Natural Remedies for Common Childhood Complaints.
Acupressure and Chinese Herbal Medicine

You would do anything and everything for your child, including the best treatment possible, when they are not well. As children grow they go through natural stages of development and with that comes health complaints.

Chinese Medicine has been used for over 5000 years on children as young as infants, and is a safe natural means of helping your baby. Chinese medicine has two main components, Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine.

Your baby is only a few days old and is crying constantly, nothing you do seems to sooth your child. It is clear that your baby is in some discomfort, refuses to be put down and demands to be moved around or bounced. Colic is a common newborn condition that can push your patients to the limit, loosing precious sleep, leaving you frustrated and concerned about how you can help your little one.

The digestive system in our babies have not fully developed and often results in gas, diarrhea and vomiting. The first step of preventing digestive concerns like colic is not to over feed infants. Feeding on demand often causes food to stagnate because the digestive system cannot process large frequent quantities of food. Feeding on a schedule is the best means of preventing and treating colic. Rubbing the infants abdomen regularly from right to left following the direction of the large intestine helps to move food and gas through the digestive tract, helping to prevent accumulation and pain. If the colic or digestive concerns persists Chinese herbal medicine can help reduce gas, enhance digestion and calm your baby.

Acupuncture is the gentle insertion of hair fine needles into various points along the body. The acupuncture points are selected based on energy pathways that run from head to toe. The combination of points are unique to the individual and will help to re-adjust the body’s energy flow to help eliminate symptoms. In children under the age of 7, the energy pathways are immature and have not fully developed. Therefore acupuncture under the age of 7 is uncommon. Instead, more commonly used is acupressure. Massaging along the meridians, stimulating acupuncture points by touch alone. This form of therapy is gentle and effective. Massage with your infant is an incredible bonding tool, promotes circulation, calms babies and stimulates digestion.

Herbal medicine as mentioned before is the most effective form of treatment for children. They are easy to administer and provide fast acting relief from common childhood conditions. Chinese herbal botanicals are prescribed in a combination of 2-8 ingredients and are administered in liquid form with a dropper. The herbs can be given separately or mixed with milk or foods. Children recover quickly and therefore do not require long treatments, average treatments will range from a few days to a week.

Other common concerns that can be resolved using Chinese medicine include:

• Cough
• Colds
• Constipation
• Teething pain and fever
• Pedeatric asthma
• Bed wetting
• Pediatric eczema
• Hyperactivity

Both Acupressure and Chinese Herbal Medicine is an excellent means of helping your child through common childhood health concerns. Chinese Medicine helps balance the body by strengthening and nurturing, as opposed to temporarily masking symptoms. Chinese Medicine can ensure your baby has the healthy start they need for a lifetime of good health.

Tips for Stocking your Herbal Medicine Cabinet: Home Remedies

Burns
Relieves pain, sooths burns and promotes healing of the skin
Mix the juice of carrot, cucumber, potato, aloe and ginger with honey – Place on burn

Cuts
To stop profuse bleeding of cuts
Dry ginger powder, sprinkled into cut to stop bleeding

Infected Cuts
Make a poultice of crushed burdock roots apply it warm to the affected area.

Sprains and Strains
Ice for the first 24 hours.

If swelling and inflammation persists, and are is hot to touch:
Poultice of grated potato mixed with white flour to hold it together.

If swelling persists but not hot to touch:
Cook buckwheat and mix with flour to make poultice. Apply to area.

Imbedded Foreign objects
For thorns or splinters
Take half an onion and roast in the oven until soft. Apply warm onion over affected are for half hour to forty five minutes. This will help to draw the object to the surface of the skin.

Flaws, Bob. A Handbook of TCM Pediatrics. 1997. Blue Poppy Press: Boulder, CO