 | What am I doing up in the middle of the night? Giving myself a treatment. Normally, I don’t treat myself. I go to an acupuncturist. But, we’re in a new town and I don’t have one yet so, here I am, with a sore throat, writing a blog in the middle of the night as I sit on my couch and wait for the needles to help my body do it’s magic. Note to people who get acupuncture treatments: don’t be like me and mess around with technology during your treatment! Rest! Anyway, since I had my baby, I hadn’t thought a lot about acupuncture. I’d been on maternity leave and I was focused full-time on mom-stuff. It wasn’t until my baby got a cough around the holidays last year that I began to think about it again. |
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 by: Karen Bostock Estepa A gut-wrenching, heartbreaking story came up on my Facebook feed the other day. The title said the newborn baby died from starvation (though, more likely, the baby died from dehydration). The baby was born at a baby-friendly hospital. Which means that the mom was encouraged to breastfeed, she was probably visited in the hospital by someone who had extra breastfeeding education, and the baby was probably not offered a bottle.  Hyperactive Deficiency
Does your kid never eat or sleep but seems to live off your energy instead? Is your kid out of control, but you don’t have the energy to do anything about it? It may be that your child has Hyperactive Deficiency. In Chinese Medicine this disorder can lead to behavior problems, frequent illnesses, and challenges in maintaining boundaries with a child but, also the necessity to do so - for the sake of healing. The good news is, acupuncture can help your child heal from this disorder and help you get your energy and control back! What does Hyperactive Deficiency look like? A child expressing Hyperactive Deficiency usually has lots of energy, frequent illnesses, poor digestion, and doesn’t eat much. He may also resist going to sleep. He is clever and can usually figure out how to get what he wants, even if he has already been told “no”. To him “no” means “maybe”. He may be hypersensitive or nervous but he may also be coy. He may have been a very sick baby that needed lots of attention and may still crave that level of attention, acting out to ensure he gets it. Meanwhile, his drained parents cave to the child’s demands because they have no energy left to enforce clear boundaries. This could also lead to relationship problems between the parents. If one parent is a primary caregiver and the other is away from the family for several hours during the day, the one who is away more often may not understand why the exhausted primary caregiver submits to the "unreasonable” or “silly” demands of the child. What to do about it If you relate to the picture I just drew, you may not like what I’m going to say next, but if you gather your strength and courage, and do your very best as a parent, you will be helping your child, and your family, to heal. The most important thing you can do for your child is to set clear boundaries and enforce them. You also need to make sure you’re setting boundaries with your own energy. When you lose your temper or bend to the will of the child, you give your energy away. You need to remain calm and grounded. Have you noticed your child gets more energy when you get worked up and meanwhile you’re left depleted and drained? Remaining relaxed will help you save energy and demonstrate to your child what you expect of him. Boundaries According to Stephanie K. Glassman, Psy.D., boundaries “begin to form in infancy through family and environmental interactions…We learn about our boundaries by the way we are treated as children, and then we teach others where our boundaries are by the way we let them treat us.” Children with unclear boundaries are more likely to give in to peer pressure or be treated inappropriately by another person. Conversely, children with unclear boundaries are also at risk of becoming the type of adult who lacks respect or takes advantage of others. How to create boundaries I cannot tell you how to create boundaries for your kid. First, no one knows your kid better than you. Second, I have never had the opportunity to create boundaries as a parent. My best suggestion: Let your "yes" be "yes" and your "no" be "no". I am very interested in the work of Marcy Axness. Her book, Parenting for Peace: Raising the Next Generation of Peacemakers, might be a good resource. I also loved the book Bringing Up Bebe in which an American mother, Pamela Druckerman, learns first-hand the French approach to the raising of children. I appreciated the French concept of giving children extreme freedom within well-defined boundaries. What will happen next? The next thing that will happen is that your child will freak out. I don’t want to scare you, but I think you already know this will be the case. Your child is used to thriving on your energy and getting his way. He may be shocked to find he is being asked to create his own energy (from food and sleep) and is no longer in control. Your child will be more calm and relaxed Soon, however, he will feel more calm and secure when he knows you are in control, where the boundaries are, and that food does provide the energy he needs. Boundaries set by parents and caregivers are vital to helping a child with Hyperactive Deficiency. Once caregivers are committed to enforcing boundaries, a pediatric acupuncturist can help the child heal from Hyperactive Deficiency. This includes regulating digestion, balancing emotions, and improving sleep. Caregivers need treatment too “Treat the mother to treat the child…” is a concept in Chinese Medicine. You can support your child by building your energy as well. If you, or another of your child’s caregivers, feel emotionally or physically depleted (which may show up as exhaustion, irritability, or impatience), acupuncture can help you recover from the exhaustion and overwhelm and find the balance and strength needed to provide boundaries for your child and healing for your family.  The following is a story that many acupuncture parents relate to. It illustrates the struggles they experience in the process of finding the help their children require to heal and be healthy.
A happy, healthy child gets sick Once upon a time there was a happy, healthy little girl. One day she got very sick. Her doctor ran many tests but didn’t know what was wrong. He gave her some medications to reduce symptoms. The little girl felt better on these medications, but when she didn’t take them, the symptoms came back. Her parents worried about the medications Her parents were very worried. A paper came with each medication explaining all the problems it could cause. The parents worried that if they continued to give their little girl these medications, she might get side effects. But they hated to see her feeling as badly as she did without them, and she seemed healthier when she was taking them. They decided to keep giving them to her; however, they continued to worry about whether they were doing the right thing. The medications came with side-effects Over time, the little girl developed unusual symptoms. Her scared parents took the little girl back to her doctor, who agreed one of the medications might be causing these new problems. He changed the prescription to a different one with “fewer side effects”. The cycle begins again The parents got the prescription and read the side effects associated with the new medication. They realized that this cycle of medications and side effects might keep happening if they continued the way they were going. A new option They decided that there must be a different option, something that would help their little girl get better. They found a website about pediatric acupuncture. They’d never heard of that before. They knew that acupuncture had something to do with sticking a bunch of needles in people, but how was that possible for kids? Acupuncture helps the body heal itself But the website said that acupuncture helps the body heal itself. That’s what they wanted for their little girl! They longed for her to be happy and healthy and not have to take any more medications. If their little girl’s body could heal itself, then she wouldn’t need the medications anymore. A better understanding of the child’s health They called a pediatric acupuncturist to find out if acupuncture could help their little girl. The acupuncturist explained that she would have many questions about the little girl’s health starting from even before she was born. This would help her figure out why the little girl was so sick. She explained that healing takes time, but she would do her best to help the little girl’s body function at its very best. What the child will experience The acupuncturist explained that acupuncture treatments for adults and children look very different. She said that children often play on the floor or walk around the room during the treatment. During treatments, she goes with the child’s flow and lets the child guide the treatments so no force or restraint is needed. Her goal is for acupuncture to be a good experience for every child. Special tools to help children She said that she uses needles (which she referred to as “taps”) on children, but she also has other tool like the “little fishy” and the “spaceship” that she uses to deliver gentle and fun treatments to babies and children. Parents can help their child heal The little girl’s parents prepared her for treatment just as the acupuncturist suggested. The little girl was shy on her first treatment, but by her third treatment she was asking when she was going to come again. The parent’s homework was to help their little girl heal. They were taught to give her special massages, change some of her routines, and even change some of the foods she was eating. The little girl gets better The little girl improved, slowly at first. She began to feel a little happier and enjoy playing a little more. Then she started to eat and sleep better. Eventually she was able to recover and return to being a happy and healthy little girl who didn’t need any medications.  I spent the last six months balancing two offices in Banker's Hill, San Diego at the Whole Family Acupuncture Center and in Eastlake, Chula Vista at the Heart to Heart Theraputic Services Center. I'm sorry to say that I turned in my Eastlake keys yesterday. It was unavoidable as the building was being sold.
I will miss the family-friendly atmosphere that Eastlake exudes and the EBA meetings that were fun and business-y all at once. I will miss my little room with the giraffe and monkey picture on the wall and the roadway rug on the floor (perfect for cars, trains, and roaming dinosaurs alike). Most of all, I will miss those people who came to see me and shared a little bit of their lives with me in that room. I hope you will all visit me in my Banker's Hill office. I do have a miniature table and chairs in that office as well (beautiful dark wood rather than white, pink, and blue) and I also have plenty of couches and a nice big table for resting on during acupuncture treatments. It's a little different, not quite as "pediatric", but I think you and your family will be comfortable there. I look forward to seeing you all soon. Goodbye Eastlake, I'll miss you!  I attended a school board meeting this month during which they voted to support SB 277. A group of us went to speak on why they should not support this bill. One of the women in my group asked me if I had any kids. I told her about Kalis (kah-Lease). I told her about our beautiful home birth and how Kalis was perfectly healthy during my pregnancy, but that her body couldn’t manage on it’s own because she had no kidneys. I told her how Kalis had a purpose and how she’d fulfilled that purpose before she left. This woman was amazed that I could think about the loss of my daughter in such a positive way. I can do this because I made conscious choices for my little girl. My husband and I educated ourselves on, and believed in, every medical choice we made. The outcome was not what we wanted, but I believe that I made the right choices for her and that gives me peace. That is what I want for every mom who brings her child into my office to see me. I want her to be confident and at peace with the health choices she makes for her little ones. What I have learned from my own experience is that the death, injury, or illness of a child is not truly devastating. We live it, we grow through it, and somehow we come out better on the other end. I believe that what is truly devastating is the illness, injury, or death of a child as a result of medical interventions that were performed from a space of fear, ignorance, or force. Every mom I have seen who has had birth interventions or medical interventions for their child that they did not believe was right, or they felt forced into, carries a guilt and sorrow that is truly devastating. This occurs even when the outcome is good. One of the most important things parents can do for their children is to make educated and conscious decisions about their medical care. SB 277 takes the right of parents and pediatricians to make medical choices based on what a particular child needs and gives that honor to politicians and government. That is why I, as a pediatric acupuncturist, oppose SB 277. Kalis would have been 21 months old today. I am still grateful for every medical decision I made for her. I am thankful for the peace I have. I pray that you can say the same for your children. I pray that you maintain your right to that kind of peace.  by Karen Bostock, L.Ac.
The topic of measles is everywhere. You’re probably hearing about it on the news, on Facebook, and from the people around you. Popular media would have you believe that there’s going to be a massive outbreak and then we’re all going to DIE. First, the answer is yes. We are all going to die, but probably not of the measles. So, let’s say your child were to get the measles. All that hype isn’t going to do anything but freak you out. So what should you do? 1. You may want to see the pediatrician. They will likely tell you to go home, give your child plenty of fluids and some OTC drugs and to watch for specific things that might require antibiotics. Or they’ll give the antibiotic as a prophylactic (before it’s even needed). They might even offer your child the vaccination to “provide some protection”. However, as the MMR package insert indicates, “protection” may be afforded only "within 72 hours of exposure". If your child is showing symptoms, that offer of possible protection expired about a week ago. As always, make conscious and educated medical choices. Here are some more helpful suggestions: 2. One of the main side effects of measles is eye damage so keep your child in a darkened room. No TV, computer games, or screens of any sort as these will put strain on your child’s eyes and brain. 3. Spend time with you child – keep your child calm, read stories to your child, and comfort your child in times of distress. 4. Feed your child simple, nourishing foods like porridge and homemade bone broth. 5. Avoid processed foods, dairy products, oranges, and sugary drinks/foods. Your child’s immune system is working hard and these foods will slow it down. 6. Get the book: Keeping your Child Healthy with Chinese Medicine. Bob Flaws gives several herbal home remedies which include foods like coriander, sunflower seeds, carrots, parsley, water chestnuts, and even a tea made out of cherry seeds. These recipes will help help vent the rash (which means to help it express more quickly and easily so that your child can recover faster). 7. Call your pediatric acupuncturist. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal formulas can help at every stage. If measles is diagnosed and correct treatment is given in the pre-rash stage, severity can be reduced. Talk to your pediatric acupuncturist about how she can help reduce severity, avoid side-effects, and support healing. Would you like to know more? I am available to do free lectures in my office or at your parent group meeting location. Please contact me if you would like to learn more about how pediatric acupuncture can support healing in children with measles. I can be reached through my website and by phone at (619) 630-0802. by Karen Bostock, L.Ac.
CALL TO RESERVE YOUR CHILD’S SPOT: 619-630-0802 Who: Kids ages Newborn to 8 years old When: From 9-11 AM on Friday, August 8th, 2014 Where: My office: 3010 5th Avenue, San Diego, CA 92103 Cost: Wellness treatments are $20 – Expect to be in the office for about 20 minutes. Background: In Japan it is common for acupuncture clinics to have children-only days. These occur once per month around the time of the full moon. All the kids in the neighborhood come and get a Shonishin treatment to boost immunity and support overall health. Lasting Effects: In our society, people tend to ignore their bodies so they end up on several medications by their mid-50’s. We need to teach our children differently. Monthly wellness treatments are an opportunity for children to experience the fact that self-care is an ongoing process that continues for a lifetime! Couple that with the health support they’ll receive on a monthly basis and your child will be well ahead of the game! Sorry: This is not a time for children with chronic health issues to be evaluated. The wellness treatment will not include the extensive examination or diet and lifestyle counseling of a typical visit. If this is what your child needs, please set up an Initial Examination for your child. CALL TO RESERVE YOUR CHILD’S SPOT: 619-630-0802  by Karen Bostock, L.Ac.
Does your child commonly wake with a soggy bed in the morning, even though he or she has been potty trained for quite some time? Has your pediatrician offered your child electronic moisture alarms, DDAVP to boost anit-diuretic hormone (which has a side effect of seizures), anticholinergic drugs like Ditropan or Levsin (which may cause dry mouth and facial flushing), or antidepressants like Tofranil (which may cause mood issues, sleep problems, or death)? The information in this paragraph is from the Mayo Clinic website. Are you looking for some less scary options? Here are 5 Natural Ways to Address Bed-Wetting: 1. Reduce sugar. Reduce or eliminate your child's intake of sugary drinks (including 100% juice and milk), especially after 4:00 PM. 2. Reduce family stress. Children can feel and internalize their parent’s tension and stress. Find ways to manage family stress like acupuncture, couples or family counseling, or meditation. Turn off the TV and video games – especially if your child can see or hear programming that is geared to an older audience. 3. Provide familiarity when away from home. If the bed-wetting only occurs when your child is away from home, bring bedding that has been washed at home so the bed smells familiar. 4. Make sure your child is getting enough rest. 5. Acupuncture! There are many causes of bed-wetting that acupuncture addresses. See if acupuncture is right for your child. Call (619) 630-0802 to make an appointment for your child to have an acupuncture examination. Would you like to find out more about bed-wetting and what you can do to help your child? You are invited to my free talk: Thursday, March 27, 2014 from 10:00 AM - 10:45 AM Location: Central Library (The study room location will depend on the number of RSVPs.) 330 Park Blvd. San Diego, CA 92101 Space is limited - RSVP on my website or call (619) 630-0802 by 03/26/14 to reserve your spot. Are you coming to this blog a little late, but would like to hear my Bed-Wetting talk? You can arrange for me to speak to your group through my website. Just scroll to the bottom of the page and fill in the form. |
AuthorKaren Bostock is a licensed acupuncturist who provides care for kids, pregnant moms, and the whole family. Healthy families = healthy world! Archives
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