Chinese medicine (CM) has a long, 2000+ year history, and treatment of children is by no way exempt from it's tradition.
Children have a special constitution, different to adults.
Firstly, their age indicates they are free of the chronic build-up of disease and degeneration that is typical of adults.
Secondly, babies are born with a degree of immaturity about their organs. This is, they are still developing.
This development mostly pertains to the Chinese medicine view of the digestive system. It centers around the Spleen and Stomach organs, which initially are incapable of digesting anything but breast milk. As the child grows, the digestive system matures and they can tolerate other various foods.
This development takes place slowly; hence diet therapy and weaning advice is vitally important in treating and preventing illness. The more mature the digestive system becomes more variety of foods that can be eaten and assimilated into energy for the bodies needs.
Thirdly, children are said to be of a predominantly yang constitution. Yin and Yang are fundamentals, opposites of energy in TCM. Healthy adults would have a balance of yin and yang energies. To help understand yin and yang, box 1 shows their qualities.
Children’s energetic and active nature is part of this predominance of Yang energy. Yang energy is also warm so they have a tendency to become hot, or suffer hot diseases fever, earache, yellow phlegm, skin rashes are all diseases caused by heat in children.
In addition to their yang nature causing disease, the immaturity of the organs also predetermines children to get sick from inappropriate foods. Inappropriate foods are simply those they cannot digest.
Some might be ok foods in the future, but the time of weaning is very delicate. Parents need patience and sensitivity to the child's response to each food. Chinese medicine practitioners will give you more specific diet advice and appropriate ways to wean your child
There are some foods which Chinese medicine thinks should rarely be given to children. These include sugar, raw foods, cheese, greasy foods.
However, the great thing about children is they generally have a “clean slate” when it comes to build up of toxins, pathogens and are not affected by a life of feeling run-down or 'stressed' as many adults are. Hence, they are easily and quickly able to recover.
Classical texts of TCM pediatrics say that children are easy to get sick, but quick to recover.
Once the diagnosis is established, children can be treated with acupuncture, cupping, Chinese herbs, massage or a combination of these.
Acupuncture for children is relatively quick compared with adults. Needles don't need to be retained for babies, and children they are only left in a few minutes depending on their age.
Children generally respond quickly to acupuncture and herbs, treatment courses are a lot shorter than adults.
For more info about what types of conditions Chinese medicine can treat, or a profile on our practitioners at my clinic, check out http://www.metrohealth.com.au/
Children have a special constitution, different to adults.
Firstly, their age indicates they are free of the chronic build-up of disease and degeneration that is typical of adults.
Secondly, babies are born with a degree of immaturity about their organs. This is, they are still developing.
This development mostly pertains to the Chinese medicine view of the digestive system. It centers around the Spleen and Stomach organs, which initially are incapable of digesting anything but breast milk. As the child grows, the digestive system matures and they can tolerate other various foods.
This development takes place slowly; hence diet therapy and weaning advice is vitally important in treating and preventing illness. The more mature the digestive system becomes more variety of foods that can be eaten and assimilated into energy for the bodies needs.
Thirdly, children are said to be of a predominantly yang constitution. Yin and Yang are fundamentals, opposites of energy in TCM. Healthy adults would have a balance of yin and yang energies. To help understand yin and yang, box 1 shows their qualities.
Children’s energetic and active nature is part of this predominance of Yang energy. Yang energy is also warm so they have a tendency to become hot, or suffer hot diseases fever, earache, yellow phlegm, skin rashes are all diseases caused by heat in children.
In addition to their yang nature causing disease, the immaturity of the organs also predetermines children to get sick from inappropriate foods. Inappropriate foods are simply those they cannot digest.
Some might be ok foods in the future, but the time of weaning is very delicate. Parents need patience and sensitivity to the child's response to each food. Chinese medicine practitioners will give you more specific diet advice and appropriate ways to wean your child
There are some foods which Chinese medicine thinks should rarely be given to children. These include sugar, raw foods, cheese, greasy foods.
However, the great thing about children is they generally have a “clean slate” when it comes to build up of toxins, pathogens and are not affected by a life of feeling run-down or 'stressed' as many adults are. Hence, they are easily and quickly able to recover.
Classical texts of TCM pediatrics say that children are easy to get sick, but quick to recover.
Once the diagnosis is established, children can be treated with acupuncture, cupping, Chinese herbs, massage or a combination of these.
Acupuncture for children is relatively quick compared with adults. Needles don't need to be retained for babies, and children they are only left in a few minutes depending on their age.
Children generally respond quickly to acupuncture and herbs, treatment courses are a lot shorter than adults.
For more info about what types of conditions Chinese medicine can treat, or a profile on our practitioners at my clinic, check out http://www.metrohealth.com.au/
