I have been using Chinese medicine in addition to my western medical training to successfully treat children as young as newborns for a host of childhood disorders, ranging from asthma and allergies to disorders of growth and development such as ADHD and Autism.

My earliest training with acupuncture began during my residency at St. Luke’s/Roosevelt Hospital where I participated in a small unpubished study using acupuncture to relieve pain and reduce Demerol dependency in children with Sickle Cell Anemia. My growing interest in acupuncture led to a fortuitous meeting with Harriet Beinfield and Efrem Korngold, who became my mentors, long-standing collaborators and friends. I went on to study Medical Acupuncture with Steven Aung MD and received my certification through the New York Medical College program. Since then I have been lucky to meet many wise teachers and practitioners who continue to inspire me to keep learning. I have been invited to teach at many acupuncture schools around the world.

Children and Acupuncture

Are children okay with being stuck by needles? When handled with patience, care and compassion, this is almost never a problem. As a pediatrician with many years of experience working with children, I recognize how important it is to adapt my approach to the specific nature of each child. Certain children are naturally more willing to try acupuncture than others. This is why it is so important to begin any treatment by adjusting my own body language in order to create a more secure environment for the individual nature of each child. Often, working first with a child’s breathing allows a more relaxed relationship to develop between us.  Acupuncture becomes a bridge between practitioner and patient that establishes secure bonds and helps direct attention to the physical, mental and spiritual needs of the child. 

In Chinese Medicine, children are said to have an exuberance of vital energy (qi) that makes them susceptible to extreme reactions, particularly affecting digestion, respiration and emotions. As with any intervention in children, it is imperative that one never forces a child to receive any treatment, as this will only be counterproductive. Sometimes I begin by using tuning forks or laser therapy to help accustom a child to the experience of qi and reduce excess defensiveness. Some children are so sensitive that this can have as much power as the needles. Doing too much too fast is a problem in any medical intervention. I find that using only a few needles for a short period of time can often lead to the best results. This is the power of “less is more!”