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Acupuncture for children
Getting back to the little smiley face
Acupuncture for children has a long history in the Far East, and it is often for children's conditions including:
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Case study |
"I took my two year old boy to Jessica after having battled to control his eczema since he was six months old. I wasn't happy using steroid creams that only solved the problem after it appeared rather than preventing it. At first I was concerned about how he would react to the needles, but he seemed more curious to see where they were going, than bothered by them. After four sessions I could see a difference on his skin and he scratched himself less and less. Jessica also helped him with his digestive system as he suffered from regular tummy upsets. After nine sessions his skin was totally cleared and he has stayed like this for a few weeks now. Seeing my two year old scratching until he bled was a terrible thing, especially as all I would hear from the doctors and dermatologists was that there was nothing to prevent it. Jessica was caring and patient and my son was always happy to see her. I would recommend her to any parents." An fashion professional in her 30s |
Before your child's appointment:
Jessica
will send you a link to a questionnaire about your child's health for
you to fill in
you don't
need to make any special preparations
it
will be useful if you can bring some toys or other distractions for your
child
try not to come when
your child is very
hungry, full, or tired
During your child's appointment Jessica will:
ask
you all about the things your child would like help with, and your
child's health in general
feel
the pulses in your child's wrists, and look at his or her tongue, if
practical
use
fine, sterile, disposable needles on your child's acupuncture points, often on the
arms, legs, hands and/or feet, each one inserted quite briefly, usually
while your child sits on your lap
the
needles usually give an unusual sensation which can be
tingly,
heavy,
spreading, hot or sharp; any
strong sensations normally diminish within seconds. Your child
may wriggle and cry, but will generally get over the whole experience
within seconds
For your child's first appointment we'll allow 45 minutes, to give time for a detailed discussion of your child's health, and it will be £45. Subsequent appointments are up 30 minutes and £30.
Contact Jessica
Each of us responds differently to
acupuncture. Do
get in touch to discuss whether
acupuncture is likely to be right for you, or to make an appointment.
Other conditions
Acupuncture can help with a wide range of health problems, click below to find out more:
Detailed references
(1) http://www.acupuncture-schools.us/national-institute-health-nih-acupuncture.cfm, referring to World Health Organisation (2002). Acupuncture: Review and Analysis of Reports on Controlled Clinical Trial, see http://apps.who.int/bookorders/anglais/detart1.jsp?sesslan=1&codlan=1&codcol=93&codcch=196
(2) Rampes (2001). The safety of acupuncture. British Medical Journal 2001;323(7311):467 (1 September), doi:10.1136/bmj.323.7311.467, see http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/323/7311/467
(3) From the 'About Us' area of the Clinical Evidence BMJ website, page titled 'How much do we know', http://clinicalevidence.bmj.com/ceweb/about/knowledge.jsp. Extract at Oct 2009: "So what can Clinical Evidence tell us about the state of our current knowledge? What proportion of commonly used treatments are supported by good evidence, what proportion should not be used or used only with caution, and how big are the gaps in our knowledge? Of around 2500 treatments covered 13% are rated as beneficial, 23% likely to be beneficial, 8% as trade off between benefits and harms, 6% unlikely to be beneficial, 4% likely to be ineffective or harmful, and 46%, the largest proportion, as unknown effectiveness"
© Jessica Kennedy 2005-09, all rights reserved