As a mother of a teenager and having previously worked in a nursery, I have a good understanding about the importance of health for a child and know how stressful it could become for the parents when the child is unwell. I always have great passion and desire in helping children with their well-being as well as their learning development and health issues. This is the reason I became a paediatric acupuncturist.

Paediatric acupuncture is more than just needles. It is a natural, safe, non-invasive, painless and effective therapy for children of all ages. It has been practiced in China for thousands of years for boosting a child’s immune system and further more promoting their body’s healing ability to help them return the body balance naturally.

The treatment itself is very different from treatment for adults. it is much quicker! Paediatric acupuncture uses a special needing technique and offers the smallest silicone coated needles for young patients. Usually only about 3-4 points are chosen. As a paediatric acupuncturist, I understand that not every child will undergo acupuncture. There are several other alternative techniques that I may use: Paediatric Tuina - known as medical massage, Gentle Warming Therapy, Japanese massage, Paediatric Cupping Therapy and more. Your child does have to sit still, and younger children are treated while sitting on a parents’ lap.

My aim is to offer your children a better quality of life with a natural treatment, without side effects and that harmonizes them physical and emotionally.

Baby & Toddler care

Young children and babies are sensitive to their surroundings and respond to any unusual conditions in their lives. New food that is hard to digest, change of school or childcare, conflicts with siblings etc. can easily cause imbalances, that if unresolved can quickly develop into health problems. Paediatric acupuncture and other modalities of Chinese Medicine (moxa, cupping, paediatric tuina, guasha, acupressure} aim to resolve those imbalances and provide a smooth transition into an adult life.

Shonishin Paediatric Acupuncutre

It is a Japanese form of treating children, sho=little, ni=children, shin=needle. Using Shonishin focuses on gentle, specialised, mostly non-inserted treatment techniques that children find comfortable and even pleasurable. Dramatic results can be obtained even with very light treatment. Shonishin techniques involve rhythmic stroking, tapping, and pressing the skin to give different kinds of gentle stimulation. These techniques harmonize and fortify the child's vital energy, and strengthen the child's constitution. Depending on the patient, treatment are carried once or twice a week. Parents will also be tought how to use certain techniques between sessions to enhance treatments. 

​Paediatric Tuina

It is a powerful form of medical massage which can be used either preventatively or to help a child through chronic or acute illness.  It can be used in the clinic and also taught to parents.

Much of the treatment is applied to the infant’s hands, forearms, back and abdomen. The massage treatment is gentle and simple to apply and makes an excellent alternative to acupuncture. It is also commonly used alongside acupuncture treatment. Paediatric Tui Na is generally suitable for children below the age of 14.  However, it is most effective on children below the age of 6, including newborns, infants and toddlers.   For children above the age of 9, a combination of Paediatric and acupuncture are typically used to achieve optimal results

These conditions are commonly seen in the clinic:

  • Colic

  • Broken sleep

  • Restlessness

  • Diarrhoea / Constipation

  • Vomiting / Nausea

  • Abdominal pain

  • Cry at night

  • Sleeping problem

Baby Massage Class

Baby massage is a beautiful way to get to know your new baby, communicating your love for them through gentle touch.

Benefits for babies:

  • Helping the baby feel securely attached

  • Reduce crying and emotional distress

  • Relief from wind, colic and constipation and digestive issues etc

  • Supporting and stimulating your baby’s physical, emotional and social development.

Benefits for mums:

  • Feeling closer to your baby

  • Feeling the relaxing benefits of giving your baby’s nurturing touch

  • An increased understanding of your baby

  • The opportunity to socialise in a relaxed and supporting environment

Who are the classes for?

All babies from birth to 10 months old

All parents and primary caretakers

You will learn

  • How to massage your baby’s legs and feet

  • How to massage your baby’s abdomen

  • How to massage your baby’s chest

  • How to massage your baby’s arms and hands

  • How to massage your baby’s face

  • How to massage your baby’s back

  • Touch relaxation

  • Resting hands

  • Colic relief routine

  • Constipation relief routine

  • Food choices for parents, specially for breast-fed mums.

This baby massage class is run by Angelina He who is an IAIM trained baby massage instructor as well as TCM paediatric acupuncturist. Angelina also has experience working with younger children, she has a good understanding about the importance of health for a child and a family. She designed the 5 weeks long baby massage classes combining ancient Indian and modern Swedish methods with TCM paediatric Tuina techniques and strokes. You will learn a life-long skill in a relaxed, welcoming and friendly environment.

November 5 weeks Baby Massage Classes, places are available

Book your place at 07830676274 or angelina.he515@gmail.com or www.healingtouchacu.co.uk

Location: the Maris Practice 13 Baylis Mews Twickenham TW1 3HQ

Well-being support for under 16

Teenagers are going though enormous changes in their body; their mind is adjusting and emotions are bubbling. Being a teenager can be a very stressful experience. Puberty can start as early as 8 years old in girls and 11 years old in boys, their brain does not stop developing until the age of 24 -25 so it can take a good decade for things to form and settle, and they definitely need good support.

 Paediatric acupuncture is special in that it can help move the heavy, stuck energy of depression, settle the agitation of anxiety and help someone move forward. All this without the young person having to open up and talk when they might not have the words to express how they feel or not know where to start. The acupuncture treatment can do gentle work without using any words.

Sleep can be a problem during puberty, as they need 9-12 hours to allow body the proper rest. They tend to fall asleep 2-3 hours later in the evening than a young child or an adult, which is normal as the melatonin is not released until that time. It is therefore normal for teens to wake up 2-3 hours later in the morning than a young child or adult.

Acupuncture helps teens to slowing down, letting go, to rest, breathe and unwind when needed.  Self-care is an important thing to teach them, it is a skill that gets refined over time and serves them well. I like talking with my patients about selfcare and would try to come up some realistic ideas to adjust their lifestyle gently if that is required

These are the conditions can be treated including

  • Poor appetite

  • Excessive eating

  • Learning difficulties

  • Delayed development

  • Diarrhoea / Constipation

  • Urination infection

  • Ear infection

  • Tinnitus

  • Abdominal pain

  • Lack of concentration

  • Destructive behaviour

    How to prepare for your child’s visit

  • While the number and frequency of your child’s sessions will depend on his or her individual condition, patients generally start with weekly sessions and gradually decrease in frequency depending on their needs.

  • Your child’s first appointment will last for an hour, and most appointments after that will be 30 -40 minutes.

  • Make sure your child does not arrive on an empty stomach. He or she should wear loose, comfortable clothing.

  • After the session your child should take it easy for the rest of the day and avoid any strenuous activity.

Emotional Support for under 16

The Chinese medicine views of emotions is different from Western medicine’s view. Chinese medicine has always understood emotions to be a potential occur of imbalance. A text book called San Yin Fang (1747)explained the emotions in themselves are not problematic. But when they are prolonged or when they are repressed or unresolved. that’s when emotions can become detrimental to a child’s mental/ emotional state.

Chinese medicine views emotions as strong movement of Qi within the body. These derangement of QI occur simultaneously at a physical & emotional level. So anything that affects Qi will therefore affect the whole person. If a child’s Qi is not flowing smoothly, she will be prone to getting ‘stuck’ in an emotion or feeling an emotion very intensely. This of course then lead to more disrupted Qi. If a child feels particular emotions over a period of time or suffers a severe trauma, her Qi may become so disordered, as this point, Anxiety / Depression or other emotional issues may set in.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

How does paediatric acupuncture help children with ADHD symptoms?

ADHD is a chronic condition. It begins and is mostly diagnosed in childhood and often lasts into adulthood. Two thirds of children diagnosed with ADHD still show symptoms as adults. Children with ADHD often have trouble functioning at home and in school and often struggle to make and keep friends. If left untreated, ADHD may interfere with school and work, as well as with social and emotional development. 

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, any symptoms and manifestations must represent any imbalance within the body, that is a body signal for help! For example, we notice hyperactive children usually need to move all the time, they can’t sit still and are easily distracted. They don’t follow through on instructions or finish things. Some even need one to one support. But when we think about why the child acts like that, you might say ‘because they have ADHD’, but from TCM prospects we understand that is because when the body’s vital energy - qi is stuck in the head, it forces the child to move as they can’t regulate it by themselves.  Therefore, the treatment principle is to help to descend qi down and regulate qi movement. This will eventually reduce ADHD symptoms. Of course, the cause of qi being stuck in the head is different according to each individual child’s health conditions. It could be caused by Aetiology factors, for example inherited, body heat, stress pressure, poor diet, lack of exercise, too much screen etc, and for pathology factors including Heat, Phlegm, Blood deficiency etc. Once understanding each individual and the underlying causes, then the tailor made treatment plan will be made.

Paediatric acupuncture can also support other emotional issues:

  • Anxiety / Depression

  • ADHD / ASD

  • Self-harm

  • Eating disorders

  • Anger issues

  • Fear

  • Phobias

  • Feeling lonely

  • Mood swings

  • Difficulty in making friends

  • No desire to go to school