baby's first acupuncture

I have done acupuncture for years. I find that it has helped build my immune system as well as relieve a lot of my tummy issues. The kid has been battling a cold for the past few days — that coughy, phlegmy, sneezy thing that seems to be going around — so I debated whether to go to my regular appointment yesterday or just hunker down. But she and I were getting stir-crazy by the afternoon, so I thought, what the heck, I'll bundle her up and take her along.

The acupuncturist I have been seeing lately is a mom (of three girls, one the same age as my daughter), and she took one look at the kid and asked me if I would consider letting her do a few acupuncture points on her, to help speed up the progress of the cold, shorten its duration. I told her it was totally up to the kid. I was surprised when she actually said yes. The acupuncturist was great, explaining every needle and what it would do. She's always gentle, I rarely feel a thing, but I think she was showing some extra TLC with my little one. Most of the points were on her legs and arms, but there was one point which she wanted to do, on the face, that is traditionally used to break up congestion. When the kid seemed a bit scared of that prospect she told her not to worry, and instead massaged the spot and then placed some magnets in the area.

The kid said she actually felt a bit better after the treatment, although the acupuncturist warned me that she might feel worse that night as the cold takes its course. The kid was delighted to hear that she  also advised that she stay home one more day (I had been leaning in that direction, but that clinched the deal). She had some dark circles under her eyes when we arrived and I had to note that they seemed to clear up during the treatment.

Can acupuncture (or anything) cure the common cold? Of course not. But it can ease the symptoms, which is wonderful, especially when the sufferer is a kid. My kid. I'm really proud of how open she was to the experience.

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