Natural Treatments for Asthma
Posted by Admin
One of the most common childhood issues is asthma. The symptoms of asthma vary in degree and from person to person. Although the disease can occur in children of all ages, it most commonly develops before the age of five. Symptoms may include wheezing, chronic cough, shortness of breath and tightness in the chest. These symptoms of course can be very scary and debilitating for children.
Traditional Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine are a non invasive and effective treatment option. The treatment options with western medicine do include short term and long term relief, including the use of inhalers and anti-inflammatory or bronchodilators.
A good portion of the time these medications do improve the quality of life for children, and are highly recommended, and i would always recommend that your Doctor is on side with what we do in our clinic, however asthma is on the rise and currently not well controlled in children through western medicine.
The less controlled asthma is, the less physical activity a child participates in, the higher the likely hood of obesity, and the increased need for rescue medications.
The World Health Organization lists asthma as one of the diseases that acupuncture is considered to be an effective and safe treatment modality. And although parents are concerned that acupuncture can be painful, rest assured it is not. Not to mention we use several non-invasive techniques that do not involve inserting needles.
Acupuncture and herbal medicine work at tonifying and strengthening the lungs to reduce inflammation in the bronchial tubes. It is inflammation that makes it difficult for a child to breath. Acupuncture has been used in China for thousands of years to treat asthma and other respiratory issues. Some parents are worried about considering bringing their children in for acupuncture treatments thinking that it will be a painful experience.
There are a variety of treatment methods available which can make acupuncture virtually pain free for kids. Infants and younger children can get Shonishin, a needle-free, non-evasive acupuncture massage, while older children may get very fine needles which they generally tolerate quite well. As with any issue acupuncture treats, the amount of treatments that are required is 3-10.
It never hurts to give it a try in order to help out our children, especially if it brings relief. I have seen many children respond so well to acupuncture treatment, especially asthma.
