Kids Love Acupuncture

Croupy Cough? Or Seals Barking in the Night?

kidsloveacupuncture — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 22:16:16 +0000

Sometime last week around 3 a.m. I woke up to the sound of a seal barking. It to a few minutes for me to realize that it was my son coughing. My next thought was, “Oh boy, here we go again with the croup.” My husband and I are no strangers to croup since my oldest son typically gets it once or twice a year. The first time he had croup he was about 18 months old and I was just finishing my advanced classes in acupuncture pediatrics. I had studied croup and heard the audio recordings of it, but it still didn’t register in my sleep deprived and slightly panicked brain that night. I was scared because my son was having difficulty breathing and he was making these high pitched wheezing sounds called stridor! Before I completely panicked and took him to the ER, I called our pediatrician who, god bless her, called us back in the middle of the night. The second she heard him in the background she knew what was going on and recommended some natural remedies for croup.

To learn more about what croup is and hear some audio recordings Click Here. The good news about croup is the majority of the time parents can treat it at home and it rarely requires medical intervention.

Here is what we do during an attack:

Sit with him in the bathroom with a steamy hot shower running (usually for 10 – 15 minutes)
Aconitum Napellis homeopathic remedy (any potency) to help sudden onset of cough with the anxiety associated with difficulty breathing & cough – give 3 to 4 pellets every 5 t0 10 minutes until the child calms down.
natural remedy for croup
Spongia tosta homeopathic remedy (any potency) for croupy cough – give 3 -4 pellets a couple times
Keep him quiet and calm with lots of soothing words and slowing breathing
Drink a few sips of warm water
Acupressure on the points below (or in my case I’ll do a little acupuncture right then)

Here is what we do the next day:

Keep him well hydrated
Continue Spongia tosta remedy 4 pellets 3x/day (every time we’ve done this, the croup episode lasts only one night)
Herbal Remedies for treating any other cold or upper respiratory symptoms
Avoid dairy since it creates mucus
Sip warm teas

Here are some acupressure points you can press to help with croup during and after:

Percardium 6 to open up the chest and help with cough, anxiety and nausea
Lung 9 - for cough
Massage the child’s upper back between the shoulder blade and spine on both sides, vigorously until skin gets a little pink. This stimulates acupoints to support the lungs and boost immunity.

If your child is having a severe case of croup with extreme difficulty breathing or the symptoms aren’t resolving after trying natural remedies they may require medical intervention. Conventional treatments typically include nebulizer with albuterol or other broncho-dilators to help open the airways and ease breathing quickly.

It can be a little scary if you’ve never experienced croup before! If you’re not sure if it’s croup, call your pediatrician and they’ll help you determine whether it is or not. Try the natural remedies above and I think you’ll be happy with results and in the process you’ll become a pro at dealing with seals barking in the night.

Why is My Kid So Cranky?

kidsloveacupuncture — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 21:10:31 +0000

My son's cranky face

I’m sure there have been times when you’ve asked yourself, “why is my kid so cranky?” Then if your not completely exhausted from dealing with your cranky kid, you go down the checklist of possibilities:

Is he hungry?
Did he get a good night sleep? Does he need a nap?
Did he have anything sugary to eat?
Has he had too much screen time?

No. No. No. No. What could it be? Oh, no! He might getting sick! Crankiness, whining, and irritability are the first signs that your child could be getting sick. Take action right away to see if you can prevent a brewing illness from becoming full blown.

Here are a seven steps to help prevent illness:

Make sure your child gets enough sleep. Have them go to bed just a little bit early.
Avoid sugar, dairy and wheat as much as possible.
Eat whole foods, chicken stock, warming soups and teas.
Start herbs and supplements. Support their immune system with supplements like vitamin C, vitamin D, astragalus, maitake and other mushrooms, etc. There are a lot of possibilities so just use what you have on hand.
Keep your child warm. Don’t let them play outside in the cold or wind without a jacket or at least an extra layer of clothing. If you’re not sure if they’re warm enough put your hand inside their shirt and check to see if their shoulder and upper back are warm.
Slow Down their Schedule. This is the time to do less. Cancel meetings or appointments that aren’t essential so you and your child can get a break and some extra rest.
Massage their upper back between the shoulder blades and spine until their skin turns a little pink. Vigorous massage in this area helps stimulate the acupoints associated with the immune system. This is great to do after a bath.

We can’t always prevent a cold, but by intervening in the early stages you can help you child through it without complications. To build a healthy immune system your child needs to get sick and get well.

If your child is sick frequently or needs extra support during the cold and flu season, contact a licensed acupuncturist who can give you specific advice for your child’s health concern.

Acupuncture for Kids Even Safer Than Study Findings

kidsloveacupuncture — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 22:00:03 +0000

Acupuncture has been safely used to treat a wide variety health problems in babies, toddlers and children for thousands of years. It is a safe, natural and effective treatment that works with the body and has very few adverse effects. As a pediatric acupuncturist I can assure you acupuncture is completely safe for kids and now there is current research to support this assertion! The first systematic review study of pediatric acupuncture safety was published in the December 2011 issue of the journal Pediatrics. It confirms that acupuncture is safe for kids when performed by a qualified practitioner.

I believe acupuncture for kids is even safer than the study findings due to the rigorous clinical training, safety standards and certifications that modern American acupuncturists go through before becoming licensed. After reviewing the study I found that these standards were not reflected in the systematic review because much of the data for the review came out of international studies. The serious adverse events reported were mostly caused by unqualified practitioners in other countries and were due to gross incompetence.

Here are six reasons why I think acupuncture by qualified practitioners is safer for kids than the recent study findings:

Only single-use sterile disposable needles are used, thus infections from needles are extremely rare!
The needles are hair-fine, virtually painless, and are inserted superficially into the skin so there is zero risk of puncturing a lung or other vital organ.
Acupuncture needles are not always used for treatment. There are several different non-needle painless ways to stimulate the acupoints that have similar therapeutic effects as acupuncture. Non-needle methods do not penetrate the skin so there is zero chance of any adverse reaction.
In babies and toddlers non-needle methods are generally used to stimulate acupoints. Thus, fear and crying are extremely rare.
In kids under age 8, acupuncture needles are not retained in the body. The needles are swiftly tapped in and immediately taken out. Children only need to sit still for a few seconds at a time during the treatment.
In kids over age 8, they can generally sit still for 10 – 20 minutes with the needles in, but unlike adults the needles are smaller and inserted superficially minimizing any serious risk to the child.

In my experience the most common adverse reaction is a mild and brief discomfort (about 1 second) during insertion of the needle. Rarely, mild adverse reactions such as temporary bruising or swelling at the needle site occur but these are uncommon due to the special techniques used in pediatrics. In the eleven years I’ve been involved in acupuncture never has a single pediatric or adult patient caught an infection from needle insertion, nor have I seen or any serious adverse reactions. They do happen, but are extremely rare and very unlikely if the practitioner you choose is licensed and has special training in pediatrics.

To Flu Shot or Not? That is the Question.

kidsloveacupuncture — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:45:47 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

Every fall I field many questions about the flu shot and I’m most commonly asked “should I get one?” Vaccinations are a very controversial topic and people feel strongly both for and against vaccinations. Rather than make a decision from fear or pressure, I think it’s important to ask the right questions, look at all the data, evaluate your medical and health history and then make an informed decision that YOU are comfortable with.

Why Get the Flu Vaccine?

I had the flu about three years ago and let’s face it — it stinks and nobody wants to get it. You feel like you’ve been hit by a truck, you’re likely going to miss work for at least a week and it may take several weeks to recover. The flu hits young children and the elderly the hardest and can cause complications like pneumonia, hospitalization and, occasionally, death. Historically, flu outbreaks have caused millions upon millions of deaths. Because it is not something to take lightly the government tries to protect the public from potentially harmful influenza infection.

Is the Flu Vaccine Effective?

That depends on who you ask. If you look at the CDC’s webpage on the flu vaccine effectiveness everything sounds straight forward. According to the CDC the flu vaccine is between 30 – 70% effective at preventing the flu depending on the population you’re evaluating. How well the flu vaccine performs depends how well the three strains chosen each year match the flu strains that people are infected with. The vaccine is not effective against upper respiratory viral infections so it will not protect you from the common cold or other flu-like viruses.

The problem is there is very little research that demonstrates the effectiveness of the flu vaccine. According to Tom Jefferson, author of Influenza Vaccination: Policy versus Evidence published in the British Medical Journal, most of the studies are very small, not well constructed, depend too much on cohorts and non-randomised studies that introduce bias making the results unreliable. He goes on to say, “In children under 2 years inactivated vaccines had the same field of efficacy as placebo, and in healthy people under 65 vaccination did not affect hospital stay, time off work, or death from influenza and its complications.” With the current studies that we have on the flu vaccine and the fact that strains change from year to year, the simple answer is no one really knows if it is or is not effective—there is not enough data yet.

Is the Flu Vaccine Safe?

For the same reasons we don’t know if the flu vaccine is effective, we can’t say whether or not it is safe. This is especially true in babies, small children and pregnant women. There is not enough evidence to provide an answer either way. If you read the package inserts for the fluarix flu vaccine it says, “safety and effectiveness has not been established in pregnant mothers.” The package insert goes on to say that there has been a small study on pregnant rats which did not cause harm to the rat or her rat baby, however, there are no human studies that demonstrate safety or effectiveness.

Individual dose flu vaccines usually do not contain thimerisol (mercury), but most multi-dose flu vaccines do. Thimerisol is still highly controversial as to whether it is linked to mitochodrial disease and additional complications. In addition, most of the flu vaccines contain α-tocopheryl hydrogen succinate, polysorbate 80 and residual amounts of hydrocortisone, gentamicin sulfate, ovalbumin (egg), formaldehyde, and sodium deoxycholate.

The 2011-2012 flu vaccine contains three influenza strains including H1N1 or swine flu. The swine flu vaccine is associated with an increased risk for Guillain-Barré Syndrome. According to the Mayo Clinic Website “Guillain-Barre (ghee-YA-buh-RAY) syndrome is a disorder in which your body’s immune system attacks your nerves. Weakness and tingling in your extremities are usually the first symptoms. These sensations can quickly spread, eventually paralyzing your whole body. In its most severe form, Guillain-Barre syndrome is a medical emergency requiring hospitalization.”(1)

Is the Flu Vaccine right for me?

Only you can answer that question, but promise me you will make an informed decision that’s best for you! I’ve included a list of links on the flu shot so you can look at the available data yourself.

I believe the best way to support a healthy immune system is to stick with the basics of staying healthy: adequate sleep, eating healthy, exercising, minimizing stress, washing hands and of course taking herbs (but you knew I was going to stay that).

Links for More Information on the Flu Vaccine:

CDC: Effectiveness of Flu Vaccine

CDC: 2011-12 Vaccine Selection

CDC: Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) Recommends Universal Annual Immunization

British Medical Journal: Influenza Vaccination: Policy versus Evidence

Studies Fail to Demonstrate Safety or Effectiveness of Influenza Vaccine in Children and Adults

The Flu Vaccine and You: what parents need to know about the new recommendations

Flu Vaccine: Stay Out of My Womb!

What’s in the Flu Vaccine: Online Flu Vaccine Package Inserts

References:

(1) http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/guillain-barre-syndrome/DS00413

When Kids Don’t Eat Lunch at School – Start with a Hearty Breakfast!

kidsloveacupuncture — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 18:35:13 +0000

This year I started out with grand ideas of getting my kids to eat super fun healthy lunches. Unfortunately, my kids had other ideas like playing at lunch recess instead of eating. I will not admit defeat and I’m opting for a change in strategy instead. My game plan is to get them to eat a hearty breakfast with lots of protein, whole grains and fruits, provide a simple lunch at school that they like and can eat quickly and then have a healthy snack right after school. There is much confusion over what is considered healthy these days so if you’d like more information on what foods I consider healthy check out Principles of a Healthy Diet by Weston A. Price.

Here is my basic morning strategy. Avoid sugary foods like Nutella, juice, all cereals, white and processed foods since they have a high glycemic index. Your child will be hungry about an hour after breakfast if they eat processed, sugary foods. I can’t stand the Nutella and cereal commercials promoting their foods like they’re healthy breakfast choices – yeah right! If you have any of these foods in the house, TOSS THEM IN THE TRASH! If your kids don’t eat lunch at school, you’re going to have to get up early and cook them breakfast. There is just no way around this, but you can save time by cooking up large batches of pancakes on the weekend or doing the prep work the night before. You’ll also need to give your kids plenty of time to eat these large and healthy breakfasts.

Here are some breakfast ideas:

1. Serve Lunch for Breakfast! Why not? I’ve served ham & cheese breakfast sandwiches, egg sandwiches, Bacon sandwiches, egg & cheese burritos.

2. Classic Breakfast: Eggs, Bacon or Sausage & Fruit. Apple Chicken sausage is great morning treat! TIP: Look for brands without nitrates that use organic meats.

3. Multi-Grain Pancakes, Organic Canadian Bacon & Fruit – add things like oats, cottage cheese, lots of eggs to make the pancakes filling. Reduce syrup intake by mixing butter with the the syrup or blending blueberries, butter and maple syrup in the blender. TIP: soak oats overnight before cooking with them to make them easier to digest. I have a great GFCF multi-grain pancake recipe that I’m going to see if I can get permission to share on this blog.

4. Homemade breads or crepes with nut or seed butter. When you make zucchini or banana bread homemade reduce the sugar content and add foods like almond meal, quinoa flakes, etc. to boost protein content. Then slather on the nut or seed butter. My kids love sunflower seed butter as it has a similar taste to peanut butter but a contains more omega-3 fats.

5. Serve breakfast with a glass of whole/raw organic milk or coconut milk for those with diary allergies. TIP: Coconut milk is my favorite diary alternative because it has lots of medium chain fatty acids with are beneficial to the immune system and the brain!

6. Smoothies. This is a summer time or on-the-go favorite. My basic smoothie recipe always has 1 cup of coconut milk, 1 cup frozen fruit, and 20 grams no-sugar protein powder and 1/4 cup spinach (which you can’t taste). Then I mix and match seasonal fruit, a little banana (not too much), nut butter or if I’m living dangerously a little natural unsweetened cocoa powder. YUM!

Breakfast can be challenging, but it really is the MOST important meal of the day to help our kids boost their brain power and get a great start at school. For more ideas on what to fix as well as information on what to avoid read Morning Nourishment, Bountiful Benefits & Creative Ideas by Jen Allbritton.

Healthy Lunch Box Ideas

kidsloveacupuncture — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 05:26:24 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

Are your kids fussy about food like mine? Both my husband and I are foodies now, however, as kids we were both extremely picky. My mother-in-law told me that my husband subsisted on peanut butter sandwiches for most of elementary school and I fed my peas and other vegetables to the dog under the table. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that my kids are picky eaters too.

At home it’s easy to work with my picky eaters and can usually get healthy greens and other nutritious food into them. School presents a much greater challenge since I’m not there to supervise and make sure they’re eating healthy, let alone eating. I’ve found that if I pack a boring lunch, they just plain don’t eat and it sets the stage for low blood sugar issues later in the day. The challenge is finding healthy nutritious foods that they’ll eat. This year I’m rising to the challenge and have vowed to pack healthy nutritious lunches that they’ll eat.

A couple of my colleagues and fellow bloggers are a bit ahead of me on this mission. Emily Bartlett of Holistic Kid has a fantastic list lunch ideas in her blog post 24 Ways to Pack a Nutritious Lunch which I have printed and put on my fridge for inspiration. Unfortunately, since my picky eaters also have food allergies (dairy, gluten, egg) some of these great ideas won’t work. Dr. Heather also has a few ideas on spicing up the lunch box faire from the visual perspective. If your kids are on the GFCF diet, check out wogglebug.com for some great GFCF lunch ideas. This mom is all about fun and play with food — she grinds up and serves yoda and makes alien sauce! How cool!

Next week I’m enlisting the help of in-home personal cooking instructor, Patti Tartaglia, to help me come up with some healthy allergy-free lunch ideas. Some of the ideas we’ve come up with are sunflower seed butter, banana, banana-bread sandwiches (everything home made), spaghetti with homemade marinara sauce (with lots of hidden veges), and various wraps. To make sure they kids will actually eat these foods at lunch, I’ll be testing our creations on my taste testers over the next couple weekends and will post what we come up with.

Pack a Healthy Lunch For the Kids – and You (fitsugar.com)
Raising Picky Eaters (wholefoodsmarket.com)

Easing Back into School

kidsloveacupuncture — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 20:04:22 +0000

My kids started school today. Unlike last year, I started preparing for back to school a couple of weeks ago. The first step was getting to the boys to bed earlier. It’s so hard to do in August when it is hot and the sun doesn’t go down until late (it’s unnatural to start school before labor day as far as I’m concerned). So, I started giving my boys a melatonin spray under the tongue about 30 – 60 minutes before bed to help counteract their exposure to light before bed. We also have some blackout curtains in their room which help if it is cool enough to keep the windows closed and curtains drawn. The melatonin worked quite well and they gradually went to bed a little earlier each night. Last night they were both in bed by 8:00 and asleep by 8:30 without a fuss. This morning they woke up at around 6:45 excited and nervous about starting school.

How Much Sleep Is Enough?
One question I’m commonly asked is how much sleep is enough for children. There is no set amount of sleep a child needs, but on average 10 – 12 hours is necessary. During the school year, an easy way to gauge whether or not your child is getting enough sleep is simple. If they wake up by themselves at they time they’re supposed to get up, then most likely they are getting enough sleep. However, if you have to wake them up or it takes them a long time to get going in the morning they need to go to bed earlier.

Tips to Help Your Kids Adjust to School
Dr. Laura Markham has a great parenting website with lots of useful tips for parents. If you’re looking for ways to help your child transition into school check out her article Ten Tips for Helping Your Child Adjust to School. If you have a child with anxiety about school or separation anxiety you’ll like her other article Preparing Your Child for the New School Year. She gives a lot of great advice on how to help your child bond with their teacher, the other students and work through separation anxiety.

Remedies for Anxiety
If your child is really nervous consider giving them Hyland’s Calms Forte for Kids or Children’s Rescue Remedy Drops starting a couple days before school and certainly on the day of. You can also slip some rescue remedy into their water bottle so they sip on it at lunch time. And don’t forget to give some to yourself if you’re feeling a little sad or nervous about your little one’s going to school!

Kids Love Acupuncture Party… Now a Blog!

kidsloveacupuncture — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 01:10:14 +0000

Last Friday, August 12th I held my first ever Kids Love Acupuncture Party at my office. It was so much fun and I had lots of kids attend the event. I’ll be sharing more details about this event soon, but for now you can check out my facebook page to see pictures of the event. This party prompted me to start this blog to cover all manner parenting and child health issues. I’ll be writing more soon, so stay tuned!

Robin