Pediatric Oriental medicine and acupuncture

An examination of 43 pain clinics in North American children’s hospitals revealed that approximately one-third offered acupuncture services.

by Dr. Steven Cooner — 

Oriental medicine and acupuncture are among the CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) therapies most frequently recommended by internists and family physicians and are currently practiced in more than 140 U.S. hospitals.

An examination of 43 pain clinics in North American children’s hospitals revealed that approximately one-third offered acupuncture services. Most research suggests that a large number of children are being referred for acupuncture, and the practice is acceptable to their parents, who are happy with the experience, overall.

This suggests that neither children nor their parents are really afraid of needles. Treatments, however, can be done “needleless” for all children’s conditions, using a variety of modalities practiced by licensed acupuncturists and doctors of oriental medicine. Treatments are simple, gentle, effective and noninvasive.

Among the conditions children can be treated for are: ADHD, allergies, asthma, indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, colic, tantrums, weak constitution, eczema, hives, ear infections, stuttering, bed wetting, chronic pain, depression, pediatric migraine, chronic fatigue, neurological disabilities, cerebral palsy, autism and chemotherapy side effects.

Treatments can include progressive relaxation, guided imagery, hypnosis and manual therapy, along with non-inception techniques or gentle insertion treatments, which children find comfortable and even pleasurable. Dramatic results can be obtained even with these very gentle treatments.

For more information, a number of documented studies and research on the benefits of pediatric Oriental medicine and acupuncture are available on the Internet.

Dr. Steven Cooner is a doctor of oriental medicine and a licensed acupuncturist, with a master’s degree in counseling psychology and 25 years of clinical experience. He also teaches one-on-one martial arts and practices in Scottsdale, Ariz. www.coonerwellness.com or 602-625-6612.

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 28, Number 6, Dec 2009/Jan 2010.