Does your child struggle with bedwetting at the age of four, five, or older? Are you stuck changing the sheets in the night or still using overnight diapers? Is this getting in the way of your child taking trips for school or having sleepovers with friends? If so, it’s time to give acupuncture and herbal medicine a try. In Chinese medicine we understand that there are several reasons that a child could be struggling with bedwetting. If your child tends to wet the bed either the night before or around the same time as big or stressful life events, then stress-related bedwetting is probably the cause. This is not likely the cause if bedwetting happens every day. In these cases, reducing overall stress and nervous system tension is the goal for both acupuncture and herbal therapy. Acupuncture or acupressure will be given approximately weekly to provide nervous system calming and herbal therapy will be taken at home 2-3 times a day to support your child in relaxation. If your child sleeps so deeply that they don’t wake up to pee, and they typically have a hard time waking up and getting moving in the morning, then a form of digestive weakness is likely the cause of the bedwetting. Sometimes these children are often those who are over-thinkers. They may also exhibit digestive problems such as constipation or diarrhea, bloating, frequent tummy aches, and/or food sensitivities or allergies. Acupuncture and herbs can restore digestive health by promoting proper movement through the digestive system. Dietary changes may also be needed to address the problem. If neither of these is the problem, it’s possible your child has a smaller bladder or has a little bit of developmental delay in urine retention. Overall growth and development can be addressed with Chinese medicine, helping kids to better fulfill their potentials. Children in this category may be overall a little bit low energy, frequently have cold feet, and may have reached their milestones later. Acupuncture and herbal medicine both provide stimulation for growth and development, which in turn should support a lessening or an end of bedwetting. This type of bedwetting typically takes more patience and time to resolve than the other two listed above. Are you curious about how to support your child using acupuncture and/or herbal medicine? Give me a call or send me an email so we can discuss your child's health. Here's to your child's health!