OMD
|
Steve Paine, OMD |
|
|
|
Albert Place Practice |
 |
| Home Page Practitioners About Chinese Medicine What to Expect Conditions Treated Initial Visit Medical Forms Contact Details |
 |
About Steve Paine About Albert Place Practice Women's Health Men's Health Children's Health CorporateWellness Articles&News Test Your Health |
|
Children's health
You are your child's best doctorThe most important principle of children's health is that you, the parent, are a far better healer for your child than your pediatrician, your Chinese medicine practitioner or any childhood disease specialist. Health practitioners are to be called upon when their expertise is required. You know your child better, and you'll be far more consistently attentive to your child's needs than any professional. You do your child and yourself a disservice by running to the doctor for every little thing. Educating yourself and understanding your child's health conditions will save you and your child a great deal of unnecessary suffering and expense. You will model for your child the principle that the great majority of life's problems can be successfully addressed by anyone who uses common sense. How to raise healthy childrenThe great majority of childhood ailments will heal by themselves and do not require medical attention; the parent's role is primarily to reinforce the body's ability to heal itself. When you do need a doctor, pediatrician or natural healer find someone who will listen to you without impatience, answer your questions thoughtfully, be available to you by telephone or e-mail when you need an answer quickly, calm your fears, and explain simply and clearly what is happening with your child's body. The value of using a Chinese medicine practitioner consistently through your child's early and adolescent years is in working in collaboration with a well-trained professional to treat your child naturally and confidently. How I treat children's healthThe children whom I treat can be divided into three groups: toddlers and children up to 8 years old; pre-teens; and teenagers. Each group has its own health issues and will tolerate different types of treatment. I try to treat all the children I see with the same care I use with my own young children who are aged three, six, and ten. For children under the age of eight or ten I seldom use needles. Good results are obtained by using gentle manipulations, acupressure, cupping, guasha, the rubbing of liniment with a ceramic spoon and tuina, pleasant massage with specialized strokes. I also may use a painless, handheld electro-stimulation device to deliver "tingly" pulses to acupuncture points. I use mild, safe, powdered Chinese herbal combinations which are free of toxic side effects. These powders can be mixed in fruit or yogurt smoothies, added to soups or taken as a soothing drink with honey and warm water. I also use soothing herbal syrups. Children love these tasty natural products and tolerate them well. Why Chinese medicine is good for childrenAcupuncture is non-invasive compared to western medical techniques, and it strengthens children instead of weakening them with drugs. It is practical, logical and time-tested. Pediatrics is one of the oldest specialties within Chinese medicine. Children respond quickly to acupuncture and herbal medicine therapy. Infants and toddlers: BreastfeedingBreastfeeding may the single most important service you can perform. Mother's milk is nature's perfect food. Breast milk gives children a natural immunity to many allergies, infections, bacteria and viruses, giving your baby critical protection against disease during the most hazardous months of life. The emotional and psychological rewards to mother and child can't be overstated. Mothers who breastfeed are able to return to their normal weight more easily. About 9lbs. of a mother's weight gain during pregnancy is body fat believed to accumulate to assist in milk production. Breastfeeding consumes that excess fat. Breast milk can reduce the risk of children developing asthma, eczema or allergies if they are breastfed for at least 4-6 months. A study of 2500 children published in the July 2002 issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology concluded that breastfeeding reduces the risk of asthma regardless of the mother's asthma history. A study in the May 16th, 2001 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) concluded that breastfeeding helps to prevent obesity. The study found that babies who were fed mainly breast milk were significantly less likely to be overweight by the time they were 14 years old. In addition, the longer the child was breastfed, the lower the chance of developing obesity later. Childhood obesityDeveloped societies are raising the most overweight, unfit generation of children in history and the problem is getting worse every year. Childhood obesity is an epidemic. Keeping children fit is essential. Children should be "vigorously active" for 60 minutes per day; however, the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD, February 2003) found that children averaged only 25 minutes of exercise per week at school. The problem may be worse in Hong Kong where kids are in school so long and do more homework than children in many other places. Children are often overfed. Children's appetites vary because of their level of activity, their fondness for the food served and their body's demand to feed a "growth spurt", so children will eat what they need. Children are often set up for adult obesity because they're overfed. Adult obesity results from excessive production of fat cells in the early childhood years. The number of fat cells increases from birth to two years and again at puberty. An overfed child may have 75 trillion fat cells when he becomes an adult compared to 30 or 40 trillion for a child who was fed an adequate diet. Weight gain in adults is not due to an increase in the number of fat cells but to an increase in their size. The chance of a person becoming obese has doubled over the past decade. A 2004 study found that health problems like diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, strokes, and certain cancers are 40 percent more likely to occur in an obese person. Those who are significantly overweight have 36 percent higher health care costs and spend 77 percent more on medications than people in good health. No parent wants to condemn her child to such a future. "Treatment of Pediatric Simple Obesity with Wen Dan Tang (Warm the Gall Bladder Decoction)" Jiangxi Review of Chinese Medicine, #4, 2003 analyzed 30 cases of pediatric obesity in children between 7-13 years old. The average weight reduction was 3-6 kilograms, significant for pre-teens. The herbal formula was combined with exercise and a regulated diet. A follow-up visit showed the weight loss was maintained for six months. Children in Hong Kong do not exercise and play outdoors as much as children in other countries. Special measures therefore need to be taken. Chinese medicine pays particular attention to strengthening the digestive and musculoskeletal systems of children with herbs, diet, and exercise prescriptions. I will help you make sure that your child is eating right and encouraged to participate in as many physical activities as practical so that she stays fit and strong. Colds and 'fluThe common cold may involve a runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, sore throat, fever, cough or headache. Over 200 different types of viruses can cause a cold. Children average 3 to 8 colds per year and they get them throughout childhood. It's the most common reason that children miss school. Without treatment, a cold will usually last for 7-10 days, with perhaps a few lingering symptoms as for another week. Chinese medicine works to shorten colds and flu and to minimize a child's discomfort. We use acupoints to strengthen the body's resistance, and Chinese herbs to destroy most viruses and bacteria so that the body's own natural defenses can finish the job. Antibiotics should not be used to treat a common cold as they will not help much and may make the cold worse. The greatest danger of using antibiotics is resistant bacteria. Over time, bacteria develop resistance to the antibiotics most commonly used. Thus when your child really needs antibiotics they will not be as effective. Antibiotic overuse is a big problem in Hong Kong. Chinese herbs have been shown by pharmacological studies to be good anti-bacterial agents and excellent anti-viral agents. My experience over twenty years is that we can reduce the duration of a cold by about half and help your child feel better more quickly than other approaches. I treat colds as early as possible to limit the time the child takes medicine and to minimize the chance of bronchitis, ear infection or sinusitis. If these developments occur, Chinese medicine has remedies to treat them safely and effectively. Issue #12, 2000 of Shanxi Journal of Chinese Medicine, describes the use of a Chinese herbal formula to treat 132 cases of acute cough. The patients were divided into two groups: a treatment group [132 cases] and a comparison group [80 cases]. In both groups, the youngest child was four months old and the oldest child was 12 years old. The disease duration in both groups was from 1-7 days, with the average being 2.2 days. The treatment group used the base formula Qing Xuan Zhi Ke Tang (Clear, Diffuse & Stop Coughing Decoction). In about 90% of the cases of those children taking the Chinese medicine, the cough and other symptoms disappeared after using the formula for three days. Fever is your friendPrudence requires that you take your baby to the doctor if she runs a fever during the first few months of life. Heat stroke or the suspicion that your child may have swallowed something poisonous are other exceptions to letting fever do its job; in these cases, you must take your child to the emergency room immediately. However, fever is the body's best defense against disease for older children. Colds, flu's and earaches resolve much faster because of this defense. The notion that a child's temperature is a measure of how sick a child is, is a mistaken one and results in about a third of children's doctor visits. The temperature of 98.6 F (37 C) is not the normal temperature for everyone. Controlled studies indicate that normal temperatures range from 96.6 F (35.9 C) to 99.4 F (37.4 C.) A child's temperature may also fluctuate throughout the day, being 1 or 2 degrees higher in the afternoon or after heavy meal. Most fevers are caused by viral and bacterial infections that the body's own defense mechanisms will overcome without medical help. The common cold and influenza are the most common sources of elevated body temperatures in children of all ages. Temperatures may safely range to 103 F (39.4 C) provided they don't last long. The only potential risk is dehydration, which may result from excess sweating, rapid breathing, coughing, runny nose, vomiting and diarrhea. You can prevent dehydration by making sure your child drinks plenty of fluids. Measures to reduce temperature with drugs are counterproductive. The presence of fever tells you that the body's repair mechanisms have gone into high gear. When infection develops, the child's body manufactures additional white blood cells called leucocytes which destroy bacteria and viruses and remove damaged tissue from the body. The process of leucotaxis, in which white cells move rapidly to the site of infection, is stimulated by the release of pyrogens that raise body temperature resulting in fever. Fever means that the healing process is speeding up and it's a good idea not to interrupt that healing process. Cooling the child by sponging may reduce the fever enough to make her more comfortable. There's no need to put a child to bed or even keep her indoors. Fresh air and moderate activity may help her feel better. Learning difficulties: ADD and ADHDAttention deficit disorder, known as ADD, is implicated in learning disorders. Onset of ADD typically occurs between ages 4 to 7. About 40% of children diagnosed with ADD exhibit depressed behavior by adolescence, 60% have problems such as aggressiveness, temper tantrums, and low frustration tolerance and 90% have academic problems. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD leads to difficulty getting things done, both at home and at school, and trouble getting along with adults and other children. ADD is estimated to affect 10% of boys and 3% of girls from 4 to 11 years old, a total of 5 to 10% of school-aged children, precipitating half of the childhood referrals to diagnostic clinics. The solution for many parents is Chinese medicine with its herbs, stress reduction techniques and dietary modifications which may be used in conjunction with modern medicine. These treatments should be combined with behavioral modification and learning-skills training. Parents and caregivers need to take particular care of their own emotional health as kids with ADD or ADHD try the patience of a saint. As many as half of all hyperactive children have fewer behavior problems when put on a diet free of artificial flavorings, food colorings, preservatives, monosodium glutamate, caffeine, sugar and chocolate. The June 2004 Archives of Diseases in Childhood reported on a study at the University of Southampton of 1800 three-year-old children demonstrating that removing artificial colors and preservatives from the diet dramatically reduced hyperactivity. The August 2005 edition of Fujian Journal of Chinese Medicine & Medicinals reported that the use of a Chinese formula called Liu Wei Di Huang Tang He Gan Mai Da Zao Tang (Six Flavors Rehmannia Decoction plus Licorice, Wheat & Red Date Decoction) substantially improved the effectiveness of Ritalin on hyperactive children and kept symptoms at bay for a much longer period. We can help your child calm down and focus with Chinese medicine. Chinese food therapies include foods which calm and nourish: cooked, warm, clear bland diet, with slightly increased animal protein, soups with black beans, chicken or beef broth, and plentiful root and leafy green vegetables. Asthma and allergiesAsthma is a hypersensitivity reaction leading to respiratory distress by causing spasms of the bronchial branches of the lung and swelling of the mucus membranes. Asthma is most common in children under 10 years old, and twice as common in boys. Asthmatic reactions can be caused by respiratory infections, exercise, emotional disturbances and food sensitivities. There are two types of asthma. Extrinsic asthma is initiated by exposure to allergens like dust, molds, pollens, animal dander and foods. Intrinsic asthma is due to cold air, exercise, infection, emotional upset and irritating inhalants. Most sufferers seem to have a mixture of the two types, although the allergic type is the more common in infants and children. The main symptoms are shortness of breath, tightness in the chest, coughing and wheezing. 70% of children will receive antibiotics in the first six months of life. According to a Henry Ford Hospital study in the U.S., children who receive antibiotics within their first six months of life more than double their risk of developing allergies by age 7. The study also found that babies who received one round of broad-spectrum antibiotics were 8.9 times more likely to acquire asthma. There is a link between antibiotics and eczema, another common allergic reaction in children. According to Chinese medicine, antibiotics weaken the digestion and disrupt the qi, or energy available to the body. This leads to a weakened immune system. When the immune system is weakened allergies are more likely. Weak digestion also leads to the production of mucus, exacerbating the coughing and wheezing associated with asthma. We use Chinese medicine techniques to strengthen digestion. Probiotics refers to 'healthy' bacteria that dwell within the digestive tract. They play a vital role in the prevention of allergic diseases. Unfortunately, antibiotics destroy probiotics, especially during infancy. A study conducted in the United States involving 445 children showed that those who received antibiotics in the first 6 months of life were 1.5 times more likely to suffer from allergic disease during childhood. Children who received antibiotics during the first 6 months of their life were 2.5 times more likely to suffer allergy induced illness. A study published in the September 2000 issue of Thorax produced evidence of the importance of a child's diet in the treatment and prevention of asthma. Researchers found that the risk of developing asthma was decreased in children who consumed more vegetables, fiber and other nutrients including vitamin E, calcium, and magnesium. I will be happy to supply you with a comprehensive list of foods, which, from the Chinese medicine perspective, are particularly useful in helping children with asthma and with other allergic conditions. I will work with you on a systematic eating plan for your child. Ear infectionsThe medical term for ear infection is otitis media, an inflammation of the middle ear behind the eardrum. In the United States, ear infections are responsible for 30 million doctor visits per year. Otitis media is common in childhood, with the average toddler having two to three episodes a year, almost always accompanied by a viral upper respiratory infection (URI), mostly the common cold. The rhinoviruses (nose viruses) that cause the common cold infect the Eustachian tube that goes from the back of the nose to the middle ear, causing swelling and compromise of pressure equalization, which is the normal function of the tube. This is a 300% increase since 1975 (Pediatric News, January 1998 ). Children get ear infections much more often than adults. The main symptoms of ear infections are pain, fluid in the ear, decreased hearing, fever, nasal congestion and runny nose. Antibiotics are given to children for ear infections more than any other health concern. Research reveals that 85-95% of the 10 million yearly antibiotic prescriptions written for ear infections in the US showed no real benefit to the patient. A recent study at Children's Hospital Los Angeles questioned the need to treat uncomplicated ear infections with antibiotics. Doctors reviewed 74 research trials done between 1966 and 1999. After reviewing all the data, they concluded that 78% of children in the studies would have experienced resolution of their ear infections within 4 to 7 days had they not been treated with antibiotics. Doctors in the Netherlands and some other European countries typically do not treat ear infections with antibiotics unless symptoms worsen after 24 to 48 hours. Chinese medicine treats ear infections with herbal remedies and the benefits of these remedies are rapid. Chinese medicine strengthens your child's immune system to minimize further occurrences. Boosting your child's immune systemExercise helps your child's immune system fight off simple bacterial and viral infections by flushing bacteria out from the lungs, decreasing the chance of a cold, flu or other airborne illness. Exercise is responsible for sending antibodies and white blood cells through the body at a faster rate. As these antibodies or white blood cells circulate more rapidly, they detect illnesses earlier. Exercise also temporarily raises body temperature inhibiting bacterial growth. Specific foods boost your child's immune system in many ways. They increase the number of white cells in the immune system and increase their ability to fight better. They also help eliminate the substances that drain the body's energy. Chinese medicine has developed a comprehensive system which identifies specific foods for specific conditions. This can be valuable for you and your child as you learn, as Hippocrates said, to "make your medicine your food and your food your medicine". Probiotics, as we have seen, are the "healthy" bacteria that dwell within our intestines to promote the immune system and provide a hostile environment for bacteria. The ratio of "good" bacteria to "bad" bacteria should be about 80% to 20% to maintain health. Probiotic supplementation or the addition of naturally occurring probiotics with foods like yogurt, kefir, and sauerkraut, will provide good bacteria. In addition, eating foods high in fiber is beneficial because good bacteria love to "eat" soluble fiber which causes them to multiply. Chinese medicine has taken the science of diet to prevent health problems to a very high level. I will be happy to share with you the foods which most efficiently build your child's immune system. Stress reduction is also important for building the immune system. Children in Hong Kong are stressed because of the high demands of school, and, for some children, the difficulty in being away from the comfort and familiarity of their home country. Extensive research done in Germany, the United States, England, and many other countries, confirms the exceptional influence of stress on health. Handling stress well by developing healthy adaptations to stressful situations and cultivating a sincere enjoyment of life, leads to far fewer health problems. Children can receive no better training!
|
|
 |