About children

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

 

My daughter (7 years old) has been getting acupuncture

for the last years on a weekly basis. She developed

some aversion and while she does not feel any pain,

she would sometimes make a big drama and get tense

while getting needles. So to make this easier on her,

my acupuncturist uses this technique of rubbing

heating lotion on the point with the probe and

massaging it until it gets red. He says it is almost

as effective as needles. Sometimes she gets moxa or

acupressure beads. Is there any way to help her relax

other than distraction? She will be getting

acupuncture indefinitely as far as I can tell. She was

originally diagnosed with leukemia in May of 2003

(more than 2 years ago) and while her chemotherapy

regimen is about to end next month, I am planning to

continue to support her with acupuncture. So we need

long term solutions.

 

Thanks in advance

Lola (starting acupuncture program in the fall '05)

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Dear Lola,

 

A technique I would use and one which you could suggest to your

daughters acupuncturist to try, is that he/she asks your daughter to

bring in her favourite dolly/teddy, and he first shows her how good her

dolly is at receiving the acupuncture. He can then needle dolly, then

mummy (if you'll allow) and then your daughter. This doesn't work for

all children obviously, but is well worth a try. Other than that,

strong acupressure has been shown to be very effective in children, and

may be more appropriate at times when a heating method would not be

advised.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Saffron

 

 

acupuncture [acupuncture ]

On Behalf Of Lola

25 June 2005 01:11

acupuncture

acupuncture About children

 

Hi everyone,

 

My daughter (7 years old) has been getting acupuncture

for the last years on a weekly basis. She developed

some aversion and while she does not feel any pain,

she would sometimes make a big drama and get tense

while getting needles. So to make this easier on her,

my acupuncturist uses this technique of rubbing

heating lotion on the point with the probe and

massaging it until it gets red. He says it is almost

as effective as needles. Sometimes she gets moxa or

acupressure beads. Is there any way to help her relax

other than distraction? She will be getting

acupuncture indefinitely as far as I can tell. She was

originally diagnosed with leukemia in May of 2003

(more than 2 years ago) and while her chemotherapy

regimen is about to end next month, I am planning to

continue to support her with acupuncture. So we need

long term solutions.

 

Thanks in advance

Lola (starting acupuncture program in the fall '05)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_____

 

 

[Guest guest]

Given what you have described here, I would be inclined to not do

acupuncture on your daughter, at least for a while. Moxa, Tuina

massage, laser, and even tuning forks at the points can all get the job

done quite well with a child. Children's energy is right on the surface

and oftentimes a needle is not necessary to activate the desired points

and channels.

 

I have needled children as young as 18 months, but almost never use

needles for children under 10 anymore. Excellent results can be

achieved with far less invasive methods. Needles are my last resort

with young children, and when I find that I'm at that last resort, it

usually means that I missed something along the way.

 

Chinese herbs can be as effective if not more effective than acupuncture

for some conditions. Of course getting a 7 year old to drink Chinese

herbs is probably more traumatic than sticking acupuncture needles in

them. :-)

 

Christopher Vedeler L.Ac., C.Ht.

Oasis Acupuncture

http://www.oasisacupuncture.com

8233 N. Via Paseo del Norte

Suite D-35

Scottsdale, AZ 85258

Phone: (480) 991-3650

Fax: (480) 247-4472

 

 

 

acupuncture [acupuncture ]

On Behalf Of Lola

Friday, June 24, 2005 5:11 PM

acupuncture

acupuncture About children

 

 

Hi everyone,

 

My daughter (7 years old) has been getting acupuncture

for the last years on a weekly basis. She developed

some aversion and while she does not feel any pain,

she would sometimes make a big drama and get tense

while getting needles. So to make this easier on her,

my acupuncturist uses this technique of rubbing

heating lotion on the point with the probe and

massaging it until it gets red. He says it is almost

as effective as needles. Sometimes she gets moxa or

acupressure beads. Is there any way to help her relax

other than distraction? She will be getting

acupuncture indefinitely as far as I can tell. She was originally

diagnosed with leukemia in May of 2003 (more than 2 years ago) and

while her chemotherapy regimen is about to end next month, I am planning

to continue to support her with acupuncture. So we need long term

solutions.

 

Thanks in advance

Lola (starting acupuncture program in the fall '05)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Thanks everyone,

My daughter has a whole big issue with taking

medicines (psychological) and she can't swallow pills.

Chinese herbs have a strong taste, so there is very

little chance she'll be able to take them. I even

tried hypnosis to change her attitude but it did not

work at all. As was explained to me by a psychologist,

she lost control of her world so she takes control

whenever she can - even if it's just by not

cooperating with treatment. She is very strong-willed

and stubborn, even as a little toddler we could never

distract or BS her to make her do anything. She is a

sweet and patient child otherwise though. She is also

very mature and sticking needles in dolls or mommy did

not fool her - she stuck numerous needles into me and

the couch. She sees needles stuck in me on regular

basis when I have my treatment! Our great

acupuncturist even offered her to stick needles into

him, but no! The only thing that works more or less is

to bring her for appointments early enough in the

morning when her mood is great - yeah, we've been

doing it long enough to figure THAT out.

I appreciate your suggestions though. I am also

wondering if there are any other techniques that are

less threatening to children than needles besides

beads or acupressure massage? (grasping for straws).

Like I said, she does not feel much pain and she is

not really scared (she has had at least 100+

treatments with needleds already).

Lola

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hi Lola:

First I want to emphasize I have some different ways of understanding how

acupuncture works for me. My views seem to make it clearer to people why we

have to create some pain for the process to work. This doesn't mean the

traditional TCM is not correct, just that for someone like a child it is

hard to understand why she has to create pain for the treatment to work. We

have a lot of research ahead of us to fully understand the process of

acupuncture.

 

From my book, Stressaway Acupressure, I quote " By creating a small injury,

acupuncture tricks the body into thinking it has been damaged. In

principle, this is very similar to our western tradition of vaccinations.

When acupuncturists insert a needle, the body responds as if it has been

cut. Most of the methods used by acupuncturists (including acupressure)

simulate some kind of damage. Acupuncturists have tools to simulate damage

by cutting, pressure, electricity, heat, ice, lasers, lights, magnets,

scratching, and chemicals.

 

Acupressure is the application of pressure on specific points (using the

fingers or acupressure tools) to trick the body to begin this Healing

Response. Healing responses for a particular, localized pain does not occur

all over the body. We get the Healing Response just on the area of

simulated damage and along specific paths related to nerves and electrical

lines called meridians. For example, endorphins, the body's natural

painkillers, produce a numbing effect along these meridians. When you

create pain by putting pressure on points, you are artificially starting

all your body's healing mechanisms for that specific point and various

symptoms related to that point. While the body is trying to heal the point

of pain, it also heals specific symptoms. The more sensitive the points,

and the more pain you create, the stronger the healing response (the body

thinks it has been hurt more) and the better your results. When I press a

point on my hand that is sore, the body is deadening the pain at the point

in my hand, and along the meridian, going from my hand into the elbow,

shoulder, neck and head. It is producing the Healing Response all along

that meridian. "

 

For a condition like cancer we use acupuncture points that produce a

healing response in the parts of the body that relate to the cancerous

condition. One and a half years ago I developed cancer which had

metastesized and I use the points for cancer plus a lot of other

alternative treatments. 85% of the people with my type of cancer don't live

longer than a year so I am doing everything I can to keep my system healthy

and balanced. I use the points at www.stress-away.com for the cancer and

acupressure tools. With acupressure you do not need to create more pain

than the person can stand and you can control it. If your daughter used

acupressure she could control how much pain she could tolerate and may be

able to do it herself. This would be one avenue to explore.

 

Also I would be trying all the other avenues of stimulating the points. I

mentioned above that some systems even use scratching the points for

treating children. You must scratch in the direction of the flow of the

meridian. There is a whole system designed around working with children. I

don't know the name of the system but it may be related to shonishin

japanese pediatric acupuncture. I found one reference to it that may give

you some insight in how it works.

http://www.cvconsumerreport.com/archives.htm I don't know where Carbon

Valley is but it would be worth doing some research. Does anyone know the

name of the method used that scratches the acupuncture points of children

instead of using needles?

 

I also have seen a number of herbs that are put directly on the acupuncture

point and you get results because the healing response is stimulated. I

have some from health shows I have attended and will look the name of some

of them up so you can ask your acupuncturist about them.

 

May I ask, are you dealing with pain associated with he cancer or doing

more with treatment and/or prevention of the cancer growing?

 

I sure agree with your daughter about the taste of Chinese herbs. I even at

one time entertained the thought that the way herbs worked was that they

tricked the body into thinking that we had been poisoned in some way. Then

we get a healing response from the body but the thought was only because I

hated the taste of the herbs recommended for me. Sorry for this being such

a long response.

 

Monte Cunningham

www.stress-away.com

 

 

 

At 06:41 AM 6/26/2005, you wrote:

>Thanks everyone,

>My daughter has a whole big issue with taking

>medicines (psychological) and she can't swallow pills.

>Chinese herbs have a strong taste, so there is very

>little chance she'll be able to take them. I even

>tried hypnosis to change her attitude but it did not

>work at all. As was explained to me by a psychologist,

>she lost control of her world so she takes control

>whenever she can - even if it's just by not

>cooperating with treatment. She is very strong-willed

>and stubborn, even as a little toddler we could never

>distract or BS her to make her do anything. She is a

>sweet and patient child otherwise though. She is also

>very mature and sticking needles in dolls or mommy did

>not fool her - she stuck numerous needles into me and

>the couch. She sees needles stuck in me on regular

>basis when I have my treatment! Our great

>acupuncturist even offered her to stick needles into

>him, but no! The only thing that works more or less is

>to bring her for appointments early enough in the

>morning when her mood is great - yeah, we've been

>doing it long enough to figure THAT out.

>I appreciate your suggestions though. I am also

>wondering if there are any other techniques that are

>less threatening to children than needles besides

>beads or acupressure massage? (grasping for straws).

>Like I said, she does not feel much pain and she is

>not really scared (she has had at least 100+

>treatments with needleds already).

>Lola

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