The Art of Acupuncture Wellness
I have been hearing about acupuncture for babies and kids a lot recently. My questions were many. How does it work? Do you really use needles on babies? What do parents use this to treat for? I went on the hunt for a local expert to help break it down for me. And I found a wonderful, local acupuncturist named Martha Oatis who was able to give me some answers.
Nicole: Why do parents use pediatric acupuncture?
Martha: Parents seek out pediatric acupuncture and herbal medicine for their children for a large number of common and not-so-common pediatric illnesses and challenges. Generally speaking through, pediatric acupuncture and herbal medicine is an extremely gentle and yet very effective form preventative and supplemental therapy for growing children. Many parents come in because they are wary of giving their children antibiotics and other difficult to handle pharmaceuticals when their children are sick. Or, they have found, that their child is not recovering fully with the help of those medications and they are interested in finding a gentler way to assist their child in healing. Pediatric acupuncture and herbal medicine are very helpful in treating eczema, food and environmental allergies, frequent colds and flus, diarrhea and vomiting, delayed growth and development, unhealthy sleep patterns, and even ADD/ADHD.
Nicole: How does it work? Do you really use needles?
Martha: Acupuncture usually does involve needles, but its actually about so much more than the needles, especially when it comes to treating children. It has a lot more to do with the meridians, which are networks of life force energy or qi that course through the body, and the acupuncture points, which are anatomically specific places where that energy pools, resonating with specific physiological centers and systems.Children are bundles of strong life force, evidenced in how quickly and dramatically they often become ill and then how quickly and dramatically they are able to heal. Along with their brains and bodies, their energy networks develop and grow over time. If you are around young children, you may have also noticed that moments of struggle in a child’s development or moments of illness are often followed by a big cognitive or physical growth spurt.
Nicole: What is your role as an acupuncturist working with children?
Martha: My job is to support the young person’s inherent ability to heal and grow. That means treating acupuncture points with pediatric massage and acupuncture, prescribing herbs, recommending diet and supplements. For children younger than 4 years old, I very rarely use a needle. Because young people are so energetically sensitive and also so efficient at adapting and healing, gentle touch along with the use of a non-insertive needle (a gold or stainless steel plated rounded needle that rests on the surface of the skin) is painless and effective. However, when there is trust and consent between practitioner and the young person, a needle is not an obstacle. A trusting and loving rapport in the treatment room become medicine in and of itself and, as my teacher Dr. Stephen Cowan reassures, the needle just becomes a “bridge between two loving hearts.”
Nicole: How do you develop a strong bond with the patient? Do you set up a time to play with the child?
Martha: Much of an acupuncture treatment is about establishing a trusting bond based in mutual respect. The bond itself is an aspect of the therapy and is very much a part of this medicine. Before doing any massage or work with a needle or prescribing an herbal or nutritional protocol, I spend a lot of time speaking with and playing with the young patient and his or her parent. This allows the child a chance to find safety and common ground and to show me or tell me diagnostic information. Throughout the treatment play, playfulness and movement are critical.
Nicole: Do parents stay in the room for the session?
Martha: Parents do stay in the room for the session and are a very important part of the treatment. I often treat a child while she or he is sitting on the parents’ lap.
Nicole: Do you typically train the parents during the session to do any techniques with their child later?
Martha: As much as I can, I train parents in simple pediatric tuina (massage) techniques that they can do at home as part of a continuation of the child’s treatment. I send them home with a prescription of one or two acupuncture points or meridians and chose a massage technique based on the type of imbalance or pattern in the child. Frequent, small doses of light massage are very helpful for young people. They naturally grow and heal quickly and respond very well to even the slightest positive healing gesture. This is empowering to the parent who is able to play a role in their childs’ healing and it reinforces the treatment they have received from me.
Nicole: What are any methods (massage or otherwise) parents can do continually to enhance progress after a session?
Martha: A universally helpful massage for a child is what I call “tummy circles” — gently warm and settle the energy in the abdomen by massaging in circles, with broad strokes around the entire abdomen. If you make 5 circles clockwise, then make 5 circles counterclockwise, keeping it evenly balanced. Maintaining warmth and a settled consolidated energy in the abdomen is critical for children and is the basis for digestive strength and immunity.
Martha Oatis holds a masters degree from the New England School of Acupuncture and a bachelor’s degree from Brown University. She is licensed to practice in New York, Rhode Island and Massachusetts and holds national certification in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. Honored to have the privilege of devoting her life to the practice of medicine and art, Martha is also a poet, a practitioner of yoga, and a perennial student of the heart. She is the founder and director of Flourishing Gate Healing Project. For more info go to: http://www.flourishinggate.com