[caption id="attachment_2992" align="alignright" width="343"] Acupressure and herbal medicine can reduce infections[/caption] When children frequently get illnesses it's highly disruptive and stressful for the whole family. Parents have to skip work and other commitments, doctor visits are frequent, and children often miss a lot of school. Thankfully, acupressure and herbal medicine are helpful solutions to get children more resilient to infection. At Inspire Family Acupuncture we frequently work with children (especially young children) who get sick monthly or even more often during the winter months. Sometimes cold symptoms will linger for a week or two, or a lingering head cold will frequently turn into ear infections. Some parents report that they can't always tell if it is one cold lingering for weeks or new colds layered on top of old colds. Chinese medicine can disrupt this cycle by:

• Increasing overall immune function
• Helping the body dispel lingering viruses
• Reducing overall phlegm content
• Improving digestive function (which is linked with immune function)

When Do I Know if I Need to Bring My Child For Treatment?

Your child would benefit from an immune focused set of treatments if:

• They get sick more often than once a month during their first couple years in a group/school environment;
• They have a perennial runny nose;
• Illnesses take more than 5-7 days to resolve; and/or
• Illnesses frequently linger and turn into ear infections.

What Will My Child Experience With Acupressure?

At Inspire Family Acupuncture we typically use acupressure (pressing on certain points on the body) rather than acupuncture (using hair-thin needles that go through the skin) with young children. We use an approach known as Shonishin, developed in Japan as a massage-like style of acupressure. Shonishin typically covers most areas of the body including the lower legs, lower arms, back, and sometimes chest, abdomen, and/or head. We work slowly and carefully with children, explaining what we are doing before we do it and asking for consent before approaching a new area of the body. Children often feel very relaxed during their treatments. After the first 5-10 minutes of their first treatment they usually begin to sigh, yawn, or get sleepy eyes. Parents often comment that their child looks very calm and relaxed. Typically at the end of the first treatment we will teach the parent one or two acupressure points or specific massages that we would like them to do with the child at home. The home care makes a significant difference in the child's healing process.

How Do I Know if My Child Needs Herbal Medicine?

When we begin to work with a child we will discuss the child's diet and existing medications or supplements with the family. We may recommend Chinese herbal medicine and/or other herbs or supplements to support the child's healing. Particularly for building immune resistance, we may recommend approaches such as the following:

• "Jade windscreen" - a classic Chinese herbal formula that is antimicrobial and is used when healthy to keep illnesses at bay
• "CQ Junior" - a blended Chinese herbal formula to help children dispel illnesses when taken at the beginning stages of a cold or illness
• "Grow and Thrive" - a Chinese herbal formula that aims to improve overall digestive health and proper growth (which for some children is the root cause of poor immunity)

We have many other herbal formulations that we use depending on what we are seeing as the primary issues in your child.

How Do I Get Started?

If you're in the Oakland, Berkeley, Lafayette, Moraga, Orinda, and Walnut Creek area of California, call us at Inspire Family Acupuncture for a free consultation and to discuss appropriate next steps. Here's to your family's health!