Acupuncture without Needles for Children (Shonishin)

Kids and acupuncture? I can see you taking a step backwards and questioning how and why.

HOWEVER

I use a beautiful, gentle alternative for children in the form of  Japanese paediatric acupuncture which doesn’t use needles called ShoNiShin (sho= little ni= people shin= needle). Best bit- they don’t even need to sit still if they don’t want to!

Shonishin focuses on gentle, specialized, non-inserted treatment techniques that children find comfortable and even pleasurable. On older children there may be a needle inserted- but only after talking to you and them about it.

Techniques are very gentle and can feel like a massage with the child often asking for more. A session is generally from 5-15 minutes long, though in younger babies it may be as short as a minute or two. Children have immature meridian (energy) systems, so it is important not to over stimulate them, so as a general rule- with children less is more.

Although sessions are relatively short with children it is also important to not that your child does NOT have to sit still for the duration. I am able to “dance” with the child and move with them. If a child is agitated or frustrated it will impede the treatment, so free movement is important.

How many sessions your child will require is very dependent on their individual circumstance, though as a general rule chronic (long term) conditions will require more treatments, and acute (short term) conditions require less. It is recommended that you have an initial short burst of daily treatments, then go to weekly or as needed from then. My price structure allows for this, with all treatments in the first week included in the initial price.

The tools used are rubbed, stroked or tapped on the child in a relaxing manner. The tools vary in shape and size, they are not inserted.

Parents bring their children to come to see me for a range of different issues, some of the reasons I see children may include symptoms associated with (but are not limited to):

• Musculoskeletal/ Pain
  Sprains,  Acute and chronic pain, restless leg syndrome, chronic pain,  arthralgia (joint pain)
• Digestive woes
  Bloating, Crohn’s disease, indigestion, reflux, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, constipation,  nausea, vomiting, obesity, abdominal pain, dyspepsia, Inflammatory Bowel disease
• General
  Chronic fatigue syndrome, fatigue, restless leg syndrome, general wellness
• Urongenital
  Urinary retention, bladder pain syndrome, urinary tract infection, bed wetting
• Headaches/Migraines
  Migraine Prevention, TMJ pain, headaches
• Emotional Imbalance
  Anxiety, depression, panic attacks,, stress, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Sleep
  Insomnia, frequent waking
• Immune/ Skin
  Asthma, chronic urticaria (hives), hayfever, recurrent infection, psoriasis, melasma, atopic dermatitis
• Sport or Muscle injury 
  Low back pain, neck and shoulder pain, tennis elbow, knee pain, RSI, sprains,  acute and chronic pain, cartilage problems, chronic pain, plantar fasciitis, frozen shoulder, numbness, arthralgia (joint pain), sciatica, chronic pelvic pain syndrome

The specifics of each treatment (frequency, dosage, strength) depend on the age, and condition of the child, among other factors (diet and lifestyle etc).