Paediatrics Theme Day EN

Almost 300 years ago in Japan, acupuncture was taken back to its roots when practitioners sought feasible and effective treatment for babies and young children. Specialised tools and techniques that do not involve insertion of needles were developed and used which allowed acupuncture treatment to be more easily applied on young children. This system became known as ‘Shonishin’ and was primarily practised by paediatric acupuncture specialists. In the twentieth century Shonishin became more widely disseminated so that any acupuncturist could readily learn its methods and be able to treat children more easily. As acupuncturists started to incorporate this specialised treatment approach into their normal practice of acupuncture, they also sought to adapt their usual acupuncture treatment methods so that they too could be used alongside Shonishin. Traditional acupuncture in Japan is known ‘Keiraku Chiryo’, ‘Meridian Therapy.’ This approach already uses very light needling methods and was readily adaptable for young children. Refined versions of Meridian Therapy include Toyohari, where needles are not inserted on adult patients as well. This workshop will introduce both the Shonishin general treatment approach and the adapted Meridian Therapy treatment approach for children up through age 6. It will also briefly discuss the patient with the ‘kidney pattern.’ The lecturer will demonstrate the core Shonishin and paediatric Meridian Therapy treatment techniques to each participant to assist with learning them hands-on.

9.00 – 9.10 Introduction
9.10 – 9.40 Japanese acupuncture approaches for babies and small children
Dose adjustments / use of gentle non-painful & non-scary techniques
Flexible treatments: non-pattern based / pattern based / symptomatic
09.40 – 10.00 Conceptual model & regulating the qi
10.00 – 10.40 The non-pattern based root treatments of Shonishin
10.40 – 11.00 Tea/coffee break
11.00 – 12.00 Shonishin tools: demonstration and practice of the treatment techniques
12.00 – 12.30 Cases & discussion of Shonishin
12.30 – 15.00 Lunch
15.00 – 16.30 The pattern based root treatments of Keiraku Chiryo / Meridian Therapy
Normal diagnoses & adjusted diagnoses
Adjusted needle techniques (non-inserted needling method)
16.30 – 16.50 Tea/coffee break
16.50 – 17.15 Demonstration of needling technique
17.15 – 17.45 Kidney pattern diagnosis and treatment
17.45 – 18.15 Symptomatic treatment overview
18.15 – 18.30 Questions & discussion