Oakland, CA – Acupuncture and Herbs Support Children with Behavioral Issues

Angry children can use acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine to support their nervous systems

Do you have a child who struggles with behavior? Acupuncture and herbal medicine are great therapies to help children get behavioral issues under control! We successfully work with children who:

• Are frequently angry and/or frustrated;
• Are irritable;
• Lash out frequently;
• Get very easily distracted (more than their peers);
• Get easily stressed out; and/or
• Are diagnosed with ODD or ADHD.

These children often need help to calm their nervous system. Many of these kids also struggle with digestion (typically constipation) and may have difficulties falling and/or staying asleep.

Are you ready to get support for your family and your child?

How Does Acupuncture Help My Child with Behavior?

Often we find that children with behavioral problems are struggling in their bodies. Many of these kids are highly inflamed due to their diet, exposure to toxic substances in their environment, or unusually high stress at home or school.

A pediatric acupuncturist will evaluate your child by discussing their symptoms, observing their body, feeling their pulses, and looking at their tongue, and will then form a diagnosis and treatment plan. Often these children will benefit from weekly acupuncture for a few months to help their bodies reset and to relax their nervous system. Your pediatric acupuncturist will also recommend dietary changes, lifestyle changes, and herbal medicines or other supplements.

Acupuncture for behavioral issues will focus on acupressure points that are known to calm the nervous system, enable better sleep, and improve digestive function. We now know that a lot of mental health conditions and behaviors stem from poor gut function, so proper digestion will be a focus of treatment.

How Does Herbal Medicine Help My Child?

Chinese herbal medicine has a whole host of herbs that help to relieve stress, decrease anxiety, enable sleep, and improve digestion. Depending on your child’s unique body and symptoms, a skilled pediatric acupuncturist and herbalist can create an herbal formula that will be taken multiple times daily to help your child get the difficult behaviors under control.

Who Do We Work With?

We love it when the children we work with are pursuing other therapies in addition to acupuncture. We are delighted to work with your child whether or not they are already taking pharmaceutical medications or other supplements. We can also recommend excellent local:

• Psychologists
• Parenting coaches
• Naturopaths
• Nutritionists

How Will My Child Feel During Treatment?

If your child is afraid of needles — no problem! Most pediatric acupuncturists will primarily use acupressure (just pressing on the acupuncture points without using needles) so that the child feels comfortable and relaxed. Our child patients are almost always eager to come back because they feel so good during the sessions!

If you’re curious about whether this approach is right for your family, contact Inspire Family Acupuncture today for a free consultation. Here’s to your family’s health!