Pediatrics

At Whole Family Health we use acupuncture, Chinese herbs and nutritional counselling to treat many childhood illness such as fever, colic, ear infections, diarrhea and asthma.

The practice of pediatric acupuncture is not only non-invasive, and nurturing but it also provides children with quick relief. We have a lot of experience treating infants to adolescents, safely, effectively and successfully.

Acupuncture

Shonishin is a Japanese form of acupuncture that was specifically designed in the 1700’s to treat childhood illnesses. Over the years it has been refined by Japanese masters and has become an integral part of pediatric treatment in Japan. Shonishin was based on theories from Chinese medical texts and is still considered to be an essential part of pediatric acupuncture treatment.

We understand that needles can be scary to little ones and that’s why Shonishin uses a group of gentle techniques rather than the insertion of needles. These painless techniques are used with special equipment to brush, tap, or rub the surface of the skin. Children often find Shonishin to be quiet relaxing and even fun at times.

Shonishin acupuncture can be used to treat acute and chronic childhood illnesses such as:

When it comes to treating potential life long ailments it is important to treat early on in life making them more manageable and reducing the risk of it leading to greater problems down the road. Asthma, allergies, ADD, and ADHD can all be treated with a combination of Shonishin acupuncture, nutritional advice, and lifestyle changes giving your child a greater chance to grow into a healthy adult.

Infant’s and children are great recipients of Shonishin because they respond very quickly to treatments especially when treated at the onset of symptoms. This reduces the need to treat pharmaceutically with antibiotics reducing the risk of over exposure.

Depending on the child’s needs a treatment plan will be designed specifically for the child and treatment times will vary. We encourage parents to hold their child while receiving treatment because this will help the child to feel secure and bring the added benefit of human touch that Chinese medicine believes to be an essential part of healing.

Fortunately children respond much faster to acupuncture than adult’s therefore shorter duration (5-20 min) and frequency is needed for full recovery. Parents often notice that their child’s symptoms improved after the initial visit.

Preventative treatments can be administered once a month to ensure proper immune function and prevent any lingering pathogens from turning into chronic problems. In Japan it is normal for a child to have a monthly Shonishin treatment around the full moon to prevent any diseases from occurring.

Additional pediatric care includes the use of Chinese herbs to aid in the treatment of:

Nutrition

Growth and development of babies and children is highly relied on by the nutritional intake of food. This is the time in their lives that set’s the stage for their digestive and physical health that will affect the rest of their lives. Many people know already that mother’s breast milk provides many nutritional benefits to newborns that nothing else in the world can provide.

Breast feeding is recommended the most by healthcare practitioners as an infant’s primary source of food for the first 6 months. This is because it is scientifically proven that babies who are feed by breast milk in their entirety for the first 6 months have less health problems including: respiratory illnesses, digestion disturbances, immunity deficiencies, and even childhood obesity.

At Whole Family Health we can help you sufficiently devise a plan to help with breast feeding goals and the weaning process after the course of 6 months. We know that in today’s society many moms work and maintain a full time careers on top of taking care of her family. However, by investing in her child’s nutrition for the first six month’s to a year by providing breast milk she is ensuring that her child will be healthier in the long run.