AOMA Blog

Medicine from the Bottom of the Heart: AOMA Student and Pediatric Stroke Awareness Advocate

Posted by Diane Stanley on Thu, May 12, 2016 @ 03:42 PM

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In Mandarin, there is a character pronounced “de" 得. It's a neutral tone, and it's typically translated as "virtue". There's nothing particularly wrong with this translation, but something that people don't know is that it's part of a grammatical structure that indicates how you do something. While adverbs are optional in English, in Mandarin Chinese, you never miss a verb complement or this "de"-structure to indicate how you do what you do. This is an important aspect of our medicine we often miss. Deeply rooted in the culture behind our medicine is the emphasis on how we approach the things we do in our lives.

I became a mother in June of 2015, and leading to that point, I would rub my bump everyday, especially when I could feel where Logan was and say, "I love you, but you should know, I have no idea what I'm doing. Please, be sturdy." Everyday, "Dear baby, I love you. I have no idea what I'm doing. Please, please, please, be sturdy." Logan was born, after 25 hours of labor, in the 99th percentile for height, weight, and head size. He also had an infection, shoulder dystocia, a ring of hematomas around his crown, and required a cpap machine and pharmaceutical intervention to help his lungs absorb oxygen due to the prolonged compression of his chest.

On our fourth day in the NICU, my husband and I left to get dinner and received a call. Logan was having focal seizures localized to his right arm and leg, and they would need to do an immediate CT scan to look for the cause. We arrived as they received the results, and our neonatologist told us that our son suffered a stroke. His CT scan looked like his left sensory motor cortex hadn't develop at all. However, an MRA and MRI showed that his brain developed perfectly and, most likely, the injury occurred during my delivery. The neonatologist and the neurologist also told us that we could expect Logan to start showing symptoms as early as eight or nine months. I thought, "Thank God, I have time to research."

At four and a half months, I noticed that Logan always had his right arm forward at tummy time. I always just thought it was cute until I realized it was because he wasn't putting weight on his right arm. I thought I had time, but he already quit using his right arm, which never left a fist. I immediately took him to see Dr. Song Luo at AOMA acupuncture clinic. After one treatment, Logan slept with his hand open for the first time ever. After a few days and a follow up treatment, I was holding Logan and felt this slimy sensation on my cheeks. After the initial thought of how much drool was covering Logan's hands, I realized he was grabbing my face with both hands!

Regular, local treatments have kept Logan's development on track. Even when he started to show weakness in his right leg, just two points on the stomach channel followed by massage led to him crawling forward for the first time. I talk to parents around the country caring for children who have suffered from strokes and hemiplegia, and without acupuncture, many of these children grow up not being able to use their arm and often unable to walk unassisted. Dr. Luo tells me that Logan's experience is not uncommon. To see these children who aren't recovering and to know that acupuncture is so effective even with just three points and without needle retention is unacceptable to me.

Dr. Luo once shared a story about his great grandfather who taught him TCM. He was in his nineties and without hesitation, got up and got dressed in the middle of the night to help a patient in need. Dr. Luo said he taught him to practice medicine from the bottom of his heart, and it is this complete and utter compassion with which he approaches medicine that I feel makes him Logan's favorite doctor. His compassion and dedication combined with Logan's recovery have inspired me to dedicate myself even more in my studies in hopes of becoming a better acupuncturist when I graduate. These days, I don't generally ask the universe to keep Logan sturdy anymore. I know acupuncture has him covered. I just try to approach medicine and motherhood from the bottom of my heart.

Schedule an appointment at the AOMA acupuncture clinics in Austin:

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Topics: pediatrics, acupuncture clinics, acupuncture, acupuncture patients

Traditional Chinese Medicine for Children - Video

Posted by Sarah Bentley on Fri, Mar 22, 2013 @ 08:07 AM

Yaoping 'Violet' Song, PhD discusses the Traditional Chinese Medicine theory of pediatric health. Dr. Song gives practical ways to improve your child's health.



Prior to beginning her employment with AOMA, Dr. Song worked as an instructor at Chengdu University, lecturing on the science of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) prescriptions & TCM herbology since 2005 and on TCM pharmacology since 2002. She has participated in research studies investigating the compatibility, pharmacology, and toxicology of TCM formulas and Chinese ethnic medicine, including Tibetan medicinal herbs.



Dr. Song has also participated in research grants from the National Science Foundation of China. After graduated from the Chengdu University of TCM, Dr. Yaoping Song continued to practice acupuncture and Chinese medicine by following Professors Xunlun Zhou (expert on herbal formulas) in TCM internal medicine fields. Dr. Song has been on faculty at AOMA since 2008.



Dr. Song offers treatments for female disorders, stress, insomnia, digestive disorders, the common cold, cough, as well as pediatric herbal consultations.

 

Download Introduction to  Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine

Topics: pediatrics, chinese herbalism, acupuncture research, Dr. Violet Song

Pediatric Tuina – Ancient Chinese Massage for Kids

Posted by Sarah Bentley on Wed, Jan 11, 2012 @ 02:10 PM

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I have twin boys, Daniel and Jack. While my smaller one, Jack, was 3 months old, he suffered from colic after breastfeeding almost once a day. When he was in pain, he would cry and his belly would be very tight to the touch. I began to massage his abdomen beside the belly button three to five times on both sides; after a minute or so of loud crying, he would gradually calm down and then immediately fall in sleep. I found this ancient massage technique to be very helpful and after about two weeks of massage combined with Chinese herbs, the colic never returned.

This technique is called “Na Du Jiao” which means “Grasping Belly Corner”, and it is one of the numerous massage techniques of Chinese Pediatric Tuina (traditional massage). Chinese Pediatric Tuina has been applied for over one thousand years in China. Its popularity has grown in the last three to four hundred years.  

pediatric tuinaPediatric massage is applied on specific points of various parts of the body, such as the face, abdomen, back and extremities depending on the disorders. Lotion can be used to protect the skin and ease the treatment. Each session lasts about 20 – 30 minutes. In most cases, the treatment should be given once a day or every other day. Since the pediatric tuina technique is very simple, parents are encouraged to learn and practice some of the major techniques, so they can repeat the treatments at home.  

In Chinese medicine, children are regarded with “pure Yang constitution” which means they grow and develop fast in physique and intelligence. At the same time, they are also “young Yang and Yin constitution” meaning they have imperfect organic function and physical bodies, which is why they get sick easily, especially with digestive and respiratory problems. As a parent, it often seems that stomach aches (bloating, vomiting, nausea, constipation, diarrhea) or colds (coughing, asthma, allergies) as well as bed wetting & night time crying are ubiquitous during childhood.  

Pediatric tuina is a safe manual therapy; it is gentle without side effects and great to relieve most discomforts experienced during childhood. Besides that, it is also excellent at preventing other diseases. Providing regular and simple pediatric tuina for your kids can strengthen their digestive and immune systems and support their natural body constitution. Children who have picky appetites or easily catch colds are great candidates for pediatric tuina. It is most effective for children from birth to seven years old. For older kids, acupuncture is a good combination as well.   A lot of times, a Chinese herbal formula is suggested to be combined to provide even better and faster results. 

Tips for a successful tuina or acupuncture treatment for your child:
  • It’s best if your child doesn’t come to his/her appointment on an empty or full stomach.
  • Plan for your child to take it easy after his/her treatment.
  • Sometimes after receiving an acupuncture treatment your child may feel a little lightheaded or “woozy.” If that is the case, please have him/her sit for a while in our waiting area. In a few minutes he/she will be relaxed and clear-headed.

Request an Appointment

Yongxin Fan, LAc has over 20 years of clinical experience in treating muscular-skeletal disorders, pain, digestive disorders, and psycho-emotional disorders.

Topics: pediatrics, Dr. Yongxin Fan, tunia, tcm

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