When I first started studying Chinese Medicine, I hated the thought of using needles.
“I will use only acupressure” was my constant thought.
The 2nd year came rather quickly after the 1st year (it’s only natural I guess),  and I quickly understood that there’s no way I will not use acupuncture.
Two things helped me to understand this:
1. The power of the most delicate touch on the right point at the right time.
2. The acupuncture sessions I started to take with a healer, who quickly became my mentor.
So my fear- if you can call it a fear- of needles vanished and never returned.
It didn’t return when I started to have friends as patients. It didn’t return even when family members were forced to become needle-cushions on my 3rd year (”dad, it’s for a good cause!”).
And it didn’t return when I finished my 4 years and had my clinic growing steadily.

Recently I told you about my son being ill.
One of my biggest frustrations is that when it comes to my husband, my ability to diagnose is blurry, but I manage. When it comes to my son- I am completely clueless and have no re-collection what so ever about Chinese Medicine and it’s ability to help people.
Strange isn’t it?

When it comes to my son, my fear of needles is back.
It’s not really fear, but I am not as happy for the task as I am with people around me.
While my son was sick, I was very frustrated with the fact that I can’t help him more and that I don’t know enough to do something. I needed to ask his doctor, his practitioner, and to be honest- I don’t want to relay on them. I want to know. I want to relay on me.

My son has a light asthma.
Every 3 months or so he has a runny nose, followed by a day of slight coughing.
Ventolin helps, and he goes about as if nothing changed.
He does have shortness of breath, which sometimes makes us use a steroid called Betnesol.
One time I saw his practitioner use the point Ding Chuan.
I felt quite silly for not thinking about it myself. What is up with that??
This point worked like magic.

On his last asthma attack, I decided to needle Ding Chuan.
The amazing thing was, that thinking about it made me nervous. Actually taking the needle and finding the point- I didn’t feel nervous. In fact, it felt like the right thing to do.
Did I hit the right point? I have no idea. But it did help for a while.
As in everything- practice makes perfect.

So what’s the result of all this?
I have decided to act, and I will be starting a course about Chinese Medicine in children this November.
I am not interested in treating children. I am interested in being able to help my son with various techniques- acupuncture, massage, Bach remedies, essential oils…
Maybe it’s just tools that help the mother- in this case- feel less frustrated and more in control.
But what if these things can actually help my boy?
I’m all for it.

Over to you
Do you use acupuncture on children around you? On family members? What’s that like?
Leave your comments, I would love to read them.