Staying Healthy in Winter

(see article)

Ask Mary Beth

Q. Does acupuncture hurt?
A. Many patients report that their experiences range from feeling almost nothing at all to a brief ache, or sensations of energetic activity near the needle. Many people who have been fearful of acupuncture also report being amazed and surprised by the pleasant experience of complete relaxation. The needles, being the width of a human hair, are the finest needles and only shallowly inserted into the body.

Pediatric Health Concerns

Pediatric Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine Yield Lifelong Health and Well-being

As a mother and grandmother, I offer noninvasive forms of acupuncture without needles, as well as pediatric Chinese herbal formulas that have enjoyed 5,000 years of clinical application, and have proven to be safe and effective. My commitment to the next generation is to pass along the treasures of Chinese medicine and wisdom to cultivate the most beneficial practices in childhood in order to build a healthy foundation for life. As with all patients, there is an emphasis on education so that children can understand their experience of life and can be empowered to make wise dietary and lifestyle choices. Together we co-create a lifetime of beneficial practices.

With pediatric formulas we can prevent colds and treat them so that these conditions do not worsen and deteriorate into something more serious; we eliminate therefore any extraordinary interventions. The importance of gentle immediate and effective intervention cannot be emphasized enough in treating children. Understanding the body’s self-regulation abilities, we respect the child’s constitution and fortify the child in order to avoid the use of antibiotics which disrupt the body’s microbial functioning.

To gain an understanding of your child’s constitutional type is to lay the foundation of health and lifelong wellness. I offer preventative strategies and management in order that your child can thrive, not in spite of who she is, but with the understanding of who she has been ordained to be. With the understanding of the child’s constitution, we develop a framework to identify patterns of wellness, predispositions, and any areas that will require extra attention and tending.

Pediatric formulas are safe and effective in the treatment of common childhood conditions, such as:

• Allergies
• Asthma
• Bed wetting
• Cough/croup
• Digestive disorders
• Earache
• Sore throat
• Sports injuries
• Teething

There are topical formulas for insect bites and swellings, and for the prevention of Lyme disease. I am committed to the prevention of:

• Childhood obesity
• Type 2 diabetes
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol and a host of other medical conditions that are all preventable with good practices.

More information:

Fresh Air, WHYY, 9/15/2010; Jeffrey Gordon, Director for the Center for Genome Sciences, the Washington University St. Louis School of Medicine.

How Obesity Harms a Child’s Body: Young Lives at Risk/Our Overweight Children; The Washington Post, 5/18/2008, A13.