As an alternative form of therapy, acupuncture is becoming a more common treatment for children who are experiencing headaches, stomach pains, back pain, depression and other health concerns. Needles as fine as a strand of hair are inserted into specific areas of the body to activate the energy flow within. Inactive energy flow can result in illness and discomfort, and it’s believed that acupuncture treatments can restore that flow and health the body. While it’s been proven to be an effective and safe treatment for adults, just how safe is acupuncture when children are involved?
How Safe is it?
Studies have concluded that one in every ten children that go through acupuncture therapy can experience mild side effects that include light bruising, pain and/or numbness at the puncture site. It’s very rare for more serious side effects, like nerve impairment or infections, to take place. However, there are always safe risks and concerns when you visit an establishment in which the practitioner isn’t properly trained or certified to perform acupuncture treatments. In this sense, damage can be done to your child’s muscles and nerves if the needles are inserted incorrectly.
If you’re planning on taking your child to an acupuncture session, make sure the practitioner is properly licensed and trained. More than three million adults each year are participating in acupuncture treatments, with children slowly catching up due to the pain relief the therapy brings. This is a safe alternative to pumping children full of pharmaceuticals, with more parents are moving towards acupuncture treatments over traditional methods.
What are the Benefits for Children?
It’s been established that acupuncture can help relieve chronic pain in children, but how else can this treatment help them in their everyday life? Well, with consistent sessions, as with adult patients, children who receive acupuncture treatments experience less overall pain throughout their system. This lack of pain, in turn, results in an increase in school attendance, a better quality of sleep, and increases their participation in extracurricular activities.
Acupuncture can treat conditions that include migraines, endometriosis in adolescent girls and reflex sympathetic dystrophy, in which an unknown source causes pain and swelling in certain extremities. Acupuncture can also benefit kids with lazy eye, also known as amblyopia. Studies showed that children who wore corrective lenses for the condition had a higher resolution in their lazy eye after three months of consistent acupuncture therapy .
At Dundas Chiropractic Center, we’re dedicated to providing our patients with the best chiropractic care around. Located in Oakville, Ontario, our services include acupuncture, massage therapy, non-surgical spinal decompression, orthotics and foot care, and more. To book an appointment, give us a call or visit our website .