Pediatrics

Our practitioners who specializes in treating pediatrics are: Toby Wedgle and Patrick Marron

If you’ve clicked on this page, you most likely have a child who struggles with one or more of these chronic childhood conditions: asthma, allergies, skin conditions, ADD/ADHD, Autism spectrum disorder, sensory processing disorder, digestive problems, depression, or anxiety. Modern conventional medicine may symptomatically manage these problems with medications, but side effects and the potential for lifetime dependence on medications is leading families to look for more natural solutions that also address the underlying cause of the disorder.

You might wonder, Can my child even get acupuncture? The answer is Yes! Infants, children, and teens can all receive and generally enjoy acupuncture. Safe, effective, and practically painless, acupuncture offers effective and lasting solutions for a range of children’s health conditions. Any child can receive acupuncture, with needles being inserted and quickly removed, or retained for a short duration, depending on the child's comfort and ability to be still. Typically, kids feel calm and relaxed during and after treatment as their health conditions steadily improve over time.

We also have a wealth of other tools to treat children. Chinese herbal medicine, homeopathy, and nutritional supplements all provide daily support when kids aren’t in the treatment room. Whether teas, pills, or dissolvable pellets, this is an important component to their ongoing wellness, and your child’s practitioner will find a method that fits their condition and their comfort.

If you, like many parents, suspect that your child’s diet is a part of the puzzle but aren’t sure what to change, we can help with that, too. Nutritional counseling is a big part of all treatments at MHS no matter the patient’s age. Most pediatric treatment strategies succeed because of the willingness of a child (and their family) to work with food as the easiest and most available form of medicine! Your practitioner will help coach you on the best foods for your child's condition.

Combining acupuncture, herbs, supplements, and nutrition allows us to address the root of your child’s health condition. Your child will receive truly holistic treatment that supports their development as a whole person. As a safe and effective alternative or complement to conventional medicine, kids quickly learn that acupuncture helps them feel better, and can be a part of their healthcare for the rest of their lives.

A note about bringing your child in for acupuncture: Please read BEFORE their appointment

If you're bringing your child in for acupuncture for the first time it is important that you have a conversation with them about what will happen BEFORE they come for their treatment. We recommend that you prepare your child for the fact that there will be needles. Do not skip this part, kids know when they are not being told the truth. 

Explain that the needles are the size of a cat whisker, that the needles will go in just under their skin and come right out, and that they are painless. Your wording is important here. If you feel your child will react better to a word other than “needle” then use whatever language will help them feel comfortable (e.g. pin, Chinese medicine tool, rainbow unicorn energy wand… you know your child better than we do). Kids often ask whether it will hurt, and the answer is no! They will feel a “tap” when the needle is inserted but beyond that, they won't feel much of anything at all.

It's not uncommon for children to at first be against the idea of getting acupuncture, therefore many parents find that offering some kind of small reward on the condition of completing their first treatment (a treasured snack… that coveted toy or game…) provides enough incentive for the child to be brave and go for it. Some children find comfort in holding on to a stuffed animal or blankie during the session.

Before their visit, watch this video with your child so they know what the needles look like and see how easy it is:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IuXMBN8SL1Y

Please remember that an appointment's time is finite; if we have to spend a lot of time trying to convince the child to get acupuncture, there may not be enough time for the actual treatment. Talking to kids about acupuncture before they come in empowers them to be prepared for their visit and gets their bodies, minds, and energy ready for what will happen. Children who are prepared for acupuncture will be less afraid at their first visit (and even genuinely excited to try it), more consistent with treatments, and therefore have better outcomes.

Teenage Health

Our practitioners who specializes in treating teenagers are: Emily Mann, Patrick Marron, and Toby Wedgle

We all know adolescence to be a fraught time. If we’re not remembering fondly, we are certainly remembering how hard it was—the skin issues, the interpersonal difficulties, the amount of work relative to the amount of fun we wanted to have, and any number of health concerns that we were (or were not) telling our parents about. In the way of teenage health, not much has changed over the decades. And yet, teenage life now is possibly even more complex. With blue-light and EMFs, toxic food ingredients, Tik Tok and the ability to compare themselves to everyone in the world, parents can find themselves concerned for the health and well-being of their teens on many different levels. And while Traditional East Asian Medicine can’t solve all their problems, it can certainly help teens cope better, feel stronger, and improve their overall health as well as deal with most of the common and chronic problems of adolescence.

Teens are not just small adults, nor are they just big kids, so treating them with TEAM requires a practitioner who can see all sides of their health. We want to be aware that they are still developing and also be mindful of the fact that some of the patterns they display now could potentially stay with them for the rest of their lives. Intervening in their health means clearing up patterns from childhood that never got resolved—think: gut, skin, immune, and emotional patterns—and helping them set forward with new tools for their health that will hold them into the future.

Some of the most common things we treat in teens are:

• Emotional: ADHD, anxiety, depression, mood swings, test anxiety, and general stress
• Cycle-related: PMS, PMDD, irregular or painful periods, and pretty much any symptom your teen has that comes with their menstrual cycle
• Immune: seasonal allergies, skin conditions like acne and eczema, and known diagnoses of auto-immune conditions

• Digestive: Any issue related to their guts—IBS, IBD, chronic constipation, food sensitivities, nausea, vomiting, bloating, pain, disordered eating, SIBO, and diagnosed conditions like Colitis or Crohn’s.

At MHS we have practitioners who have decades of experience in any of these conditions AND who specialize in working with teenagers, and we would be happy to talk to them (or you, the parent) about how we can help.

A word about teens and acupuncture: while young children need a bit more convincing that acupuncture won’t hurt, teenagers need a little less. We recommend talking to your teen about acupuncture treatment ahead of time—don’t spring this on them! Help them understand that while there will be needles involved, they are tiny, mostly painless, and will feel very peaceful while they’re in. The short story is that no one, adult, child or otherwise, loves needles, but teenagers easily adapt to the routine of having a treatment and will find it to be a very positive experience—especially since it’s going to help them with the symptom/condition that is causing them to suffer.

You’ll also want your teen to know that most likely there will be dietary recommendations and supplements or herbs for them to take. Herbs and supplements are the “treatment after the treatment,” that help prolong the effects of the acupuncture and continue to address their health concerns on a daily basis. They also cost money, so you’ll want to make sure your teen is willing to be compliant with a treatment plan from their practitioner so they don’t waste valuable resources. As the parent, you may have to help them—set reminders on their phones or around the house—to remember to take them, too. You’ll also, most likely, be the one to help them comply with their dietary changes, so make sure you’re ready to help make it easy to have the right foods around the house and make meals that support their healing. Treating teens is a family affair.

Bringing your teen in for acupuncture is one of the most empowering things you can do for their health. It will help them be more resilient, more tuned-in to their symptoms and consequently into their well-being, and the treatments themselves give them a refuge, a calm and quiet place inside themselves that they learn they can return to on their own again and again.