Pediatric Care

Working with children is an honor and a gift. They are still very much connected to their spirits, extremely wise, and free spirited.

*As a Chinese medicine practitioner my goal is to help regulate the qi, which then creates a more harmonious inner flow of all our blood, fluids, organ functions, emotions…

*The general treatment helps restore and stimulate the body’s natural healing mechanisms.

*Dosage of treatment is regulated through the amount of pressure or intensity and length of treatment, customizing it for that individual.

*I use Shonishin tools (along with bodywork), which is Japanese pediatric acupuncture. Shonishin means children’s needling. However, these tools Do Not actually puncture the skin; rather, they are tapped, rubbed, light downward scraping, or pressed onto the body surface or acupressure point. These tools are not inserted; they are used over areas of the surface of the body.

*The practice of Shonishin dates back to the 17 th century. While its widespread practice dates to the later part of the 20 th century.

*Using shonishin tools helps to re-direct the Qi of the body.

*Theoretically, a child’s kidney essence is not considered rooted or fully developed until puberty. To insert needles would weaken their kidney essence. An acupuncturist can needle a more mature child who is naturally able to self – regulate, regulates emotions well, stable, calmer, energy is rooted.

*The emotional state can also weaken children’s essence if they are frightened or crying. This is one reason why it’s so important during a treatment to help the child feel comfortable, safe, calm and connected. There are, of course, tendencies within different children, i.e. more anger, sadness, etc. Regulating Qi, regulates emotions.

*At birth we have a very immature meridian system that is still developing, just as our immune system is still developing, our digestive system is not fully developed, our organs are not fully developed, it’s all connected to the same system(s).

*Since a child’s skin is thinner, everything is closer to the surface. Therefore, a lighter treatment is used. Children are generally more sensitive to treatment then adults and also heal faster as well.

*Another reason for increased sensitivity is that children’s physiology is more active (more yang). This makes their qi more susceptible to movement and corrections of movement. Very little stimulation is needed to correct/regulate the flow of qi.

*Babies don’t have the ability to regulate their own emotions fully. This makes them very sensitive as their qi is involuntarily changed so quickly. Of course, this is also their main form of expression and communication for everything from their needs to expressing discomfort or pain, to releasing sadness or trauma and is part of their survival as well.

*Treating the parents significantly helps to give their children a treatment to support their whole health and well-being because our children are very much connected to their parents on many levels.

~I will show the parent/caregiver how to apply regular treatments at home to help their child~

Imbalances Treated:

*Digestive problems such as: Colic (abdominal pain), Constipation, Diarrhea, Food sensitivities…

*Respiratory conditions such as: Asthma, Allergies…

*Developmental problems such as: Mental development – Autism, Down syndrome. Possible complications of the birth process – Cerebral palsy. Head trauma... I can help lessen the symptomatic manifestations of these conditions to help increase function. These developmental conditions can get slowly better depending on the child’s environment, parent/caregiver doing home treatments, food…

*Skin Conditions such as: Eczema, Psoriasis, Rosacea… Skin conditions take time to improve. We look for small changes over time.

*Injuries

*Strengthening Immune System

I want to show the fascinating connection between Digestive Imbalances and Learning Challenges through Chinese medicine: The Spleen Channel is our Earth element in our abdomen. It’s our center, where we take in information and digest it. The spleen and pancreas governs the transformation and transportation of food, air and drinks. The stomach rots and ripens our food and liquids to then, churn it downward to separate the clear from the turbid (what we don’t need). The spleen raises our clear Qi to nourish the mind/Yi/brain as well as upper body. The spleen houses the Yi, which is our intellect. The spleen also does a whole lot more. However, specifically pertaining to learning challenges if there are any digestive disorders this can very well affect our learning, thinking, absorbing and remembering information (memory). Therefore, in general we strengthen the spleen, liver and stomach channels to help with learning (customizing the treatment to the individual). Our bodies are quite wise and brilliant!!!

A Background and Foundation of how I arrived in Specializing in Pediatrics:

I was drawn to natural health and healing from birth in a family that did not use natural remedies, diet or lifestyle to activate our innate immune powers. I was the black-sheep and renegade of the family who was highly sensitive, felt and believed there were other ways to live, heal and connect with our true authentic beings. Even as a child adults would come to talk to me about their problems and I would genuinely listen and support them without saying many words.

I know my entire family was also highly sensitive and very intuitive. However they learned to suppress their gifts to “fit in” with society and be “accepted.” They were also severely chastised, dismissed and even abused for expressing their hearts truth, allowing their light to shine, to think or feel different from the rest. We are programmed from birth to follow rather than to stand in who we are and be our magnificent, individual, different, multifaceted, beautiful selves. We mainly learn who we are from all that is not us.

I absolutely loved learning!!! But, I wasn’t interested in anything the school’s were teaching, it felt more like torture. How teachers were teaching and what limited subjects we had to learn in school was going against how I learned, while diminishing my spiritual gifts. Later in life, I was determined to help children thrive in school with more positive support. I began with my Bachelor of Science degree in Education with a concentration in Special Education from SUNY Geneseo, NY in 2001.

My passion and gifts were to always help children and work with them in a wholistic way through empowering and guiding them to see their own light, strengths, power and many wondrous gifts they possess. Then, I realized that working with children through a school system was not the modality I wanted to reach them through. I was devastated because I loved children and felt a strong magnetic pull to guide them in a positive and compassionate direction. Therefore, after I let go of teaching as my path and profession I felt lost in how I wanted to genuinely help, reach out and connect with children.

Ah, until I birthed my first daughter and we of course transform on our deepest levels where our truths and calling are revealed to us in unexpected ways. I was always very drawn to herbal medicine. After taking a few intensive workshops on both Chinese medicine as well as Western herbal medicine at Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism, I powerfully felt, Yes this is it!!!! I needed to pursue studying Chinese herbal medicine! I looked up Chinese medicine school’s in Vermont and Scott Moylan at Elements of Healing was and currently is the only school in VT that teaches Chinese medicine through an Asian bodywork certificate program.

This one year program incorporated Asian Bodywork, but I was not interested in any massage or bodywork school. Well, I learned that the ancient healing system of Chinese medicine along with many other ancient healing systems is bodywork! To my great surprise, as I was learning Asian bodywork and the Chinese medical healing system my gifts would just freely flow through my hands, while intuitively reading the body and its needs. To be honest, I eventually felt that it’s just pure love and compassion that flows through me and into the beautiful body/soul I am working with. We are a team, I help remind the body and spirit what to do and where to go internally through specific acupressure points.

My teacher, Scott Moylan has been in private practice as well as teaching for over 20 years. Scott’s beautiful well rounded perspective, knowledge and wisdom encompass both Chinese and Japanese teachings and practices of the ancient art of Chinese medicine through Asian Bodywork. We study with all the same books, channels of the body, acupoints as acupuncturists use, however Scott does not teach needling techniques. I studied with Scott for three years and went back again this year (2021) for my fourth year to also study Tui Na Chinese bodywork. In 2016 I completed an advanced course in pediatrics and woman’s health. My future goal is to continue studying Chinese Medicine with a focus on pediatrics and Japanese acupuncture leading to my masters and doctorates degrees when our two daughters are older.

I honor All of our feelings, both dark shadows along with the light that makes us a whole human being because one cannot exist without the other. We are the yin and yang of all of life and existence.