What to Expect

A basic Shonishin treatment involves asking questions, observation of the child, pulse or stomach diagnosis and then treatment. The core of the Shonishin treatment method is a “root treatment”, which involves the practitioner applying light stimulation to the body surface in set patterns, using tools and hands.

A child's treatments will usually be short in duration, often taking only a few minutes for infants or toddlers, with older children potentially requiring longer treatments.

The younger the child, the gentler the treatment applied. A tiny ball may be taped to certain acupuncture points for extra stimulation, or gentle cupping or indirect moxibustion (a warming technique) may be used to complement the treatment.

 

The treatment is quite simple and most children really enjoy it. Home treatments are also often taught to the parents after one or two sessions so that the Shonishin therapy can continue between sessions. This allows the parents to continue treatment under the supervision of the practitioner with some regularity, and also encourages the bond between a parent and their child. In older children, where problems are more difficult or stubborn, specific, very gentle acupuncture techniques, employing specialised needles, may be used to supplement the general Shonishin treatment.  This type of treatment is also well tolerated by the older child- I've even had some children requesting the needles as they like the tingling feeling :)

Alternatively, another tool we can use to avoid needles is the much more modern invention of “Cold Laser” Acupuncture (PhotoBioModulation/ LLLT). This uses a low-energy laser beam—instead of traditional acupuncture needles—to influence acupuncture points. The healing power of lasers was discovered over 40 years ago and is becoming more and more popular as the research grows.

 

Do get in touch if you'd like to know more about how Acupuncture or Shonishin could help you or your child. I look forward to meeting you!