[caption id="attachment_2950" align="alignright" width="416"] Teddies are cute but no one likes being sick! Use acupuncture to support your child's immunity.[/caption] Do you feel helpless in the face of winter illnesses circulating at schools and daycares, and dread the winter season for all the colds and viruses your children bring home? Never fear -- acupuncture and some lifestyle changes can help!

Why Does My Child Get Sick?

When your child is in their first year or two they get sick frequently mainly because their immune system is still developing. However for these children and older kids there are other factors at play.

• Is your child eating a proper diet?
• Are they resting enough and sleeping well?
• Are they kept at an appropriate temperature without being exposed to too much cold, wind, rain, or snow?
• Are they under a lot of stress?
• Were they born vaginally or by C-section?

All of these factors can influence a child's ability to fight off colds and flus.

How Can Acupuncture Help?

Acupuncture is one of several ways to support your child's immune system. Here's how:

• Acupuncture at certain locations increases production of immune system cells
• Acupuncture helps the body to recover from stress, moving from "fight or flight" into "rest and digest"
• Acupuncture can enhance the overall function of the digestive system
• Acupuncture can support sleep, helping your child to be more fully resourced

Giving your child preventive acupuncture care as we move into the winter season is a great way to prevent illness from striking!

What Else Can I Do To Support My Child's Health?

Overall, you want to make sure your child eats a proper diet, sleeps well, has a good balance between rest and movement, and doesn't have too much stress. Here are some things to think about:

• Minimize sugar and dairy. These are both inflammatory, mucus-generating substances that do not support immune function.
• Increase fruits and vegetables. A wide variety of these foods (think "eat the rainbow") will provide your child with a variety of immune fighting minerals and vitamins.
• Consider a high quality probiotic. Our clinic can recommend top quality pediatric probiotics that will support both gut and immune function. This is especially important for children born by C-section.
• Build in rest! Many of our kids are highly overscheduled these days. Make sure your child has time to decompress -- ideally not in front of a screen. This could be backyard play, art projects at home, reading books, cooking, or other calm light play at home.
• Help your child deal with stress. If your child is very young, this could look like a lot of snuggles and massage and activities that support laughter (a great stress reliever!). If your child is older this might be emotional management tools like yoga, breathwork, meditation, journaling or drawing their feelings, and again, any play that promotes laughter.

Curious To Try Acupuncture?

Contact Inspire Family Acupuncture to learn about how we treat children painlessly with non-needle acupuncture techniques. Find out if acupuncture is right for your children. Here's to your family's health!