Japanese Pediatric Acupuncture: Questions and Answers
by Elyse Tera
What is Japanese Pediatric Acupuncture
Japanese Pediatric Acupuncture, called Shonishin, is a type of acupuncture specifically designed for the treatment of children. It is based on theories from Chinese medical texts written over 2000 years ago and still considered the standard used by professional acupuncturistsi today. These techniques have been refined over the past century in Japan by a number of master practitioners, including Fukushima Kodo and Miki Shima, and brought to North America through the Japanese Acupuncture Society, and the International Toyo Hari Association. In the past 40 years, Shonishin has become an essential treatment modality for children in Japan.ii
How does acupuncture work?
Acupuncture works both as a healing protocol and as a preventative treatment modality. As a healing protocol, acupuncture stimulates the function of the immune system and helps your child's body to fight off infection and disease by stimulating the production of endorphins - chemicals the body produces to support the healing process. Acupuncture also affects the nervous system and causes a lowering of blood pressure and creates an overall feeling of wellbeing which is essential to health.
Acupuncture also works preventatively by treating "Lurking Pathogens"iii - the imprint of an illness which has come and gone. These Lurking Pathogens move deep into the body and can disrupt the auto-immune system later in life when the child is exposed to situations of trauma, stress or anxiety, and can cause long-term, chronic illness such as fibromyalgia, Lupus, MS, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, or other nonspecific autoimmune disorders.
Children respond very well to acupuncture. According to Chinese Medicine, children are very Yang - their energy is right on the surface and easy to access, which is why they tend to heal faster than adults. As well, children find Shonishin very relaxing and often look forward to their treatments.
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i - A professional acupuncturist has had 3 or 4 years of full-time study from a licenced educational institution, either in Canada or abroad, and has a thorough grounding of acupuncture based on the theories and practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
ii - The Pediatric Hospital of the Osaka College of Acupuncture in Japan has a staff of 10-15 pediatric acupuncturists who treat up to 1,000 children a day.
iii - The concept of Lurking Pathogens exists in Traditional Chinese Medical theory and is not recognized in Western biomedicine.
