Traditional Chinese Medicine for Mothers and Children

Here is a brief look at how Traditional Chinese Medicine can benefit moms and their children:

1. Fertility and Pregnancy-- TCM has gained significant recognition as of late for its ability to help couples conceive naturally or with IVF[1] and other medical assistance. Additionally, acupuncture can help assure a healthy pregnancy while reducing common discomforts like morning sickness and back pain. Prevention is always the best cure, so think about seeing an acupuncturist around the same time you start your pre-natal vitamins!

2. Delivery and Post-Partum-- There are several acupoints that are forbidden during pregnancy as they are known to induce labor. Others have been shown effective in turning a breech baby[2]. Acupuncture or pressure can also be very helpful in reducing pain during and after labor. Combined with moxibustion, herbs and other remedies, TCM is great at helping to restore health after delivery by helping to resolve many common complaints including excessive bleeding, pelvic pain, uterine prolapse, fatigue, depression and more.

3. Lactation and Healthy Mom- -For sufficient lactation, Mom must have sufficient Qi (energy) and Blood (and body fluids). Due to the significant loss of Qi and Blood during delivery and/or lack of adequate rest and recovery time afterwards, some mothers are struggling to produce enough milk. Acupuncture and herbs can help boost Qi and Blood to not only benefit milk production, but also improve mom’s overall health and vitality.

4. Healthy Baby-- For children we usually do not insert acupuncture needles, instead relying on acupressure (fingers not needles), Japanese style non-invasive acupuncture, as well as herbal and nutritional therapies. TCM can help with most common complaints including colic, cough, fever, diarrhea, vomiting and ear infections. For more serious cases involving seizures or developmental disabilities, acupuncture can stabilize and even greatly improve outcomes especially when treated in the early stages[3].

5. Epidemic Cold and Flu-- As soon as your child begins daycare or preschool (if not sooner) they and the whole family become exposed to and tend to catch just about everything. As Chapter 1 in most TCM medical texts is how to deal with the common cold and flu, we practitioners of Chinese medicine are quite good at this! Many acupuncturists can recommend simple home remedies and food therapies to help combat epidemic pathogens, but also come equipped with herbal formulas (some specially prepared for infants and children) as well as unique modalities like gua sha (lightly scraping the surface of the skin) and cupping (like suction cups) that are effective, painless, and have little to no negative side-effects.

6. Constitutional Balancing- - In TCM we seek to correct constitutional imbalances that can lead to a myriad of associated signs and symptoms. In the duality of all things that is commonly known as Yin-Yang theory so too are there two components of your constitution. 1, the External or structural framework responsible for securing the needs of 2, the Internal system of organs and physiological activities that sustains life. Acupuncturists are trained at identifying and helping correct a unique pattern of disharmony in each system, at the same time. Correcting these imbalances can prevent obstructions in the physical and energetic pathways that nourish and direct the body’s many systems giving us the best chance to live up to our full potential. There is the saying: The superior doctor treats the root and all the symptoms resolve themselves.


In TCM we believe that every individual and every illness is unique. To treat most effectively, we must take into consideration all aspects of the current disease manifestations as well as the constitutional make up of the individual at that time. While this seems like and often is a complex approach, it can be simplified down to basic Yin-Yang principles and classified into a known pattern of disharmony. This pattern is then corrected using time-tested techniques and mostly natural medicinals. It is the job of the patient to approach with an open-mind, be willing to modify your lifestyle, and give ample time to resolve your issues. How much time depends on many factors including severity and duration of illness, complicating or associated symptoms, and constitutional health of the patient. While nothing is set in stone, your provider should be able to give you an idea of what to expect along with a plan of treatment that you can both agree on.

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[1] Effects of acupuncture on rates of pregnancy and live birth among women undergoing in vitro fertilisation: systematic review and meta-analysis. Manheimer E, Zhang G, Udoff L, et al. British Medical Journal 2008; Feb 7

[2] Moxibustion for Correction of Breech Presentation: A Randomized Controlled Trial Francesco Cardini, MD; Huang Weixin, MD. JAMA. 1998;280:1580-1584.

[3] Traditional Chinese Medicine Helps Those With Developmental Disabilities. February 13, 2009. Healthy News Service. h ttp://www.healthy.net/scr/news.asp?id=10037