Portland Acupuncturist Press

Plenty of acupuncturists in Portland say they will treat kids, but very few actually specialize in Chinese medicine for children. It's important to consider the background, education, and treatment style of a practitioner along with their area of expertise when considering a good match for a child. Sensible parents would never use an adult brace to fit a child's leg or administer an adult dosage of medication to treat a 40 pound child. In the same sense, parents should carefully choose an appropriate complementary medicine practitioner for their children.

I chose to study the specialty of TCM pediatrics because I have two children whom I wish to raise into healthy adults. I also love to work with kids and understand that Chinese medicine holds a vast depth of knowledge relative to pediatrics.

Pediatrics is one of the oldest specialties of Chinese medicine and the earliest written texts on pediatrics in China go back to 200 BC. Some of these very same texts were the first in world history to document chicken pox, measles and small pox. It is clear from their emphasis on pediatrics that these physicians of old saw a need for a different approach to childhood illness. They ultimately refined Chinese medicine techniques to address the unique aspects of a child's developing system.

Chinese pediatric massage is one of many time-tested techniques that have survived into contemporary usage. This gentle massage is a subset of Chinese tuina massage. In China today, Chinese pediatric massage is valued highly as an effective, low cost way to maintain healthy, happy children.

Chinese pediatric massage as practiced at Singing Bird involves an extremely light touch with very quick, short repetitions. From a Chinese medicine perspective, children need very little stimulation to affect a change in the movement of energy or qi. Children's energy pathways are still in the process of development. Therefore, Chinese pediatric massage uses different meridians than those found on adults. In particular, the meridians used with children are largely represented on their hands, back and torso.

At the end of a pediatric treatment session, I teach the attending parent the massage to use on their child daily. Parents usually find that the massage is easy to perform at home and is not physically strenuous to administer. Performing the massage at home takes less than 15 minutes a day!

Even though Chinese pediatric massage is light and gentle, it's benefits are quite significant. General massage can improve resilience, strengthen organ systems and tone muscles. Specific techniques can clear up illness, resolve digestive problems, restore healthy respiration or help settle the spirit.

Appointments last 45 minutes to one hour. Each appointment allows time for discussion of the child's complaints, treatment and a chance for the parent to learn the massage. I also recommend traditional Chinese medicine herbal formulas in the treatment of children.

Below is a list of conditions addressed with Chinese pediatric massage:

• Allergies
• Asthma
• Autistic Spectrum Disorders
• Bedwetting
• Chronic Cough
• Chronic diarrhea
• Colic
• Constipation
• Developmental delays
• Ear infection
• Eczema
• Frequent colds or flu
• Growing pains
• Recurring headaches
• Insomnia
• Weight loss or weight gain
• Reflux

If you have any questions or interest in Chinese pediatric massage simply comment below or email me.

I'm really excited that my first blog entry is about the nationally recognized Portland nonprofit Outside In. Outside In is a social service agency that provides services to low income adults and homeless youth. I am featuring them on my blog because one aspect of their programming is a busy and successful acupuncture clinic which provides a full range of traditional Chinese medicine services to people in need.

Outside In is located at 1132 SW 13th Ave. in Portland, Oregon. The building itself is very open and is modern in style. The facade is decorated with outstanding colorful murals. The courtyard entryway was very clean, quiet and relaxing. There was even a spot out of the weather to safely house pets. Once I entered the building, the energy changed significantly and felt akin to that of a busy school building. There were young people all around, socializing and waiting in the lobby. Social workers, heath care professionals and volunteers were hustling around behind desks and going through doors. I sensed a feeling hope and youthfulness which I did not expect.

The top floor of Outside In has transitional housing for homeless youth and offers programs to support these youth in work, health and education in an effort to point them toward independent living or a stable home life. I was impressed to learn that 80% of the youth that go through the program do not go back to the streets.

The lower floors of the building contain the outpatient multidisciplinary medical clinic. Clients of the clinic can see medical doctors, naturopaths, acupuncturists/ herbalists, nurse practitioners, chiropractors, dental hygienists, or psychiatrists. They also offer tattoo removal. Some of the health care workers in the clinic are students themselves since Outside In is a teaching site for Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), the National College of Naturopathic Medicine (NCNM) and the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine (OCOM).

Eligibility for appointments and costs (if any) borne by the clients are determined by age, housing situation and income level. Persons who do not qualify for services at the Outside In clinic are referred to other local organizations for assistance. The clinic seemed very busy during my tour and I later learned that Outside In provided over 15,000 appointments for needy youth and low income adults in our community last year.

The reason I arranged to visit Outside In was to observe the acupuncture clinic, of course. The clinic is supervised by acupuncturist and author, David Frierman, whom I had recently met at a birthday party for a mutual friend. David impressed me as an intelligent, relaxed, and soft-spoken person. When I arrived, he was having an impromptu discussion about education with five OCOM interns. They were gathered in a room surrounded by glass jars of raw Chinese herbs. Many of the herbs had been donated by local practitioners and by David himself. The herbs are provided free of charge to patients of the clinic. I enjoyed the familiar smell of the herbs as David steered the discussion toward the job at hand. The interns came and went, in turn, as they consulted David regarding the needs of their patients in the adjoining clinic. These OCOM students have elected to intern at Outside In and I could tell by the way they interacted with David that they were very satisfied and engaged by the experience.

The acupuncture treatments were administered in a semiprivate “group” acupuncture setting with curtains drawn between treatment tables. I was reminded of my own clinical internship at the free clinic offered through Midwest College of Oriental Medicine in Chicago.

David reported that homeless teenagers usually do not sign up for Chinese medicine treatments at the clinic. He said that many of them have grown up in abusive homes and therefore have boundary or trust issues that cause them some fear of acupuncture. He thinks this is the reason that most of the clients of the TCM clinic are low-income, uninsured 20-30 year old adults.

I left the clinic with a deep admiration for the energy and commitment of the workers and volunteers. The sheer scope of the Outside In was impressive and was far beyond my estimation of what a social service agency could accomplish under one roof. I witnessed first hand why they are nationally ranked as an innovative nonprofit medical center.

I believe that persons interested in helping at Outside In will find a positive, well-run organization and will come away with a feeling of time well spent.