People are often surprised when they hear that acupuncture is great for children. Acupuncture, pediatric massage and herbal medicine are practical approaches to children’s and teens’ health care that focus on treatment of symptoms in addition to resolving the root causes of an illness. Many parents like to use acupuncture and massage first because it is less invasive and doesn't have unwanted side effects. Parents learn about ways to help their children stay healthy at home with pediatric massage and dietary approaches, and kids learn more about how their bodies work and heal.Pediatric acupuncture is a great way to address a range of conditions such as:

Acne
ADD/ADHD
Allergies
Anxiety
Asthma
Chronic Colds
Cough
Constipation
Diarrhea
Ear and sinus infections
Eczema
Low immunity
Menstrual cramps/PMS (teens)
Pain of all kinds
Vaccine preparation or recovery

Do You Really Use Needles With Children?

We can use needles with children who agree to try them, but we call them "taps" With small children it is effective to just tap in a small needle and then remove it, so "taps" is an easily understood name. We only use very small, very thin needles, and only if the child agrees to try "taps". Once they've tried taps, most children are hooked! For children who don't want to try taps, we can use massage and other tools to activate the acupuncture points.

Is Acupuncture Safe For Children?

Yes! Researchers from University of Alberta published a study in the journal Pediatrics that looked at data from around the world, collected over a span of 60 years. They find that acupuncture is safe for children, concluding that most of the few adverse effects that were seen were caused by sub-standard practices. "Our results support those from adult studies, which have found that acupuncture is safe when performed by appropriately trained practitioners."