SHONISHIN

Shonishin is a type of paediatric acupuncture which has been used in Japan for over 300 years and is still very popular today. This is a recent innovation in the West but we are coming to understand how powerful this simple, gentle treatment can be for childhood conditions.

TREATMENT FOR CHILDREN AND BABIES

Shonishin primarily uses gentle rubbing and tapping techniques and can be used on infants of only a few weeks old through to teenagers.

Treatment lasts only a short period of time, sometimes as little as 5 minutes and so is well tolerated by even the most active toddlers. It treats the whole child and therefore deals simultaneously with physical, emotional and behavioural problems.

WHAT CAN IT TREAT?

Most conditions can be addressed. Either specific conditions such as asthma, constipation, recurrent colds,infections or tummy upsets or more general complaints such as poor sleep, appetite, hyperactivity, teething or poor immunity. It can also be used in support of treatment for more serious or developmental conditions. If in doubt about whether this might help your child please call me.

ARE THERE NO NEEDLES AT ALL?

It is entirely your choice. As children get older they become less sensitive, also occasionally your practitioner may feel that a particular condition may benefit from a very light, painless, needle technique using ultra-fine needles. This would only be done once a trusting relationship had been established and with your agreement. It is not in our interest to cause your child any pain, any emotional upset will hinder the treatment we deliver and they will be unlikely to want to come back! However, you will never be pressurised into the use of needles. We can always continue with rubbing and tapping. It is surprisingly effective as children need far less stimulation than adults.

This treatment is pleasant, even fun for some of our smaller clients, some will even ask for their 'tap tap'. In general people use it:

    When a condition has failed to respond to medication
    Trying to keep the use of medication such as antibiotics or steroids to a minimum
    General problems for which there is no specific treatment


These techniques are very simple and with a little tuition and practice you can continue treatment yourself at home. I believe this will be one of the most rapidly expanding areas of acupuncture in the next few years.