Pediatric Appointments

As with all acupuncture appointments at Nettle, I'll tailor each session to your child's unique needs. With gentle needling and/or needle-free techniques available - such as Gua Sea, Tui Na (Chinese massage), Acupressure, Ear Seeds, and Tuning Forks - I work at your child's pace and comfort level to support their body to work through a variety of physical and emotional experiences.

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Benefits of Pediatric Acupuncture

For adults and children alike, acupuncture is a wonderful way to support connection to, and awareness of, your body. When working with children, I like to promote autonomy by giving choices about what treatment tools they would like to use - fostering empowerment in the choices they make for their body. This connection to themselves in turn helps them learn how their body communicates and ways to listen to what it is asking for.

Some of the many benefits acupuncture can offer are:

Decreased stress and anxiety
Resolution to digestive upsets
Better sleep quality
Calming the nervous system
Clearer cognitive focus
Relief of chronic pain
Enhanced immune system

Common concerns treated w/ Pediatric Acupuncture

Children's bodies have an innate ability to heal themselves when given the right environment and support. This gives us the opportunity to positively influence their health in a big way with minimal interference. Pediatric Acupuncture provides a gentle treatment alternative, as well as preventative medicine, to support their bodies in restoring and sustaining health. Reinforcing health in this way leads to a stronger, happier, and more confident adult in the future.

Some of the most common concerns that acupuncture can treat in children are:

Anxiety, overwhelm, low self-confidence
ADHD, Autism
Insomnia
Nervous system dysregulation
Digestive issues
Asthma, Allergies
Skin problems - Eczema, Psoriasis
Ear aches
Trauma

What Does Treatment Look Like?

During the initial appointment, we will chat in depth about the intake form you completed ahead of time, including your child's health history and goals. You are encouraged to stay in the room for the duration of the treatment to help your child feel comfortable and confident through the whole process.

I may feel the pulse, look at the tongue, palpate points on the body, and ask lots of questions! All of this with the consent of yourself and your child. Then we will talk about what tools they would like to use. I will show how each one works, and can demonstrate on myself or the parent. There is also always an opportunity for the child to touch and explore some of the non-needle tools to help decide what they are up for experiencing during that session.

Depending on the age of the child, we can have them playing on the acupuncture table, resting in the parent's arms, or lying down on the table while we complete the treatment. Sessions are set in shorter times for children, and I do not expect them to lie still the whole time. Though, with older kids, I might encourage them to take some deep breaths and practice relaxing for a few minutes if we are retaining needles for 5-10 minutes. For babies and younger children, if we are using needles, they are inserted and removed right away.

All of this can be adjusted, and will be based on the child's age and individual needs.