Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), including Acupuncture, Acupressure, Herbal Medicine and Holistic Healthcare, can benefit the entire family, from babies to grandparents. I specialize in TCM for fertility, pregnancy, postpartum and pediatric, and treat the family from the youngest to the oldest and wisest!

It’s true, even babies and toddlers benefit from Traditional Chinese Medicine! In young children needles are unnecessary because their energetic meridians are easier to access and effect. Therefore, other TCM methods like acupressure, Tui Na (massage that builds immunity and treats common childhood illnesses) and gentle herbal medicine work well to keep the youngest family members strong and healthy. Some common childhood issues treated with TCM are allergies and asthma, immune strengthening, colic in infants, digestive issues, earaches and infections, bedwetting, ADD / ADHD and sleep and sensory issues.

Teenagers also love acupuncture. It helps balance male and female hormone cycles, and when teens are first navigating hormone fluctuations it can feel intense for both teens and their parents. Transition happens from the adolescent years well into the 20s. Acupuncture can help teens with occasional sports injuries, and help them navigate the everyday life stressors and demands of the middle and high school years. Acupuncture unplugs and resets that overtaxed teenage brain.

The ancient medicine of TCM is tried and true, and good support for adults in the family as well. In our sometimes overstimulating modern world, acupuncture can help us sync in a strong steady pattern of slowing our bodies down in the chaos — letting go to rest, breathe and unwind when needed.

Regular acupuncture treatments also help relieve and heal acute and chronic pain so patients can resume a normal lifestyle. A fundamental cause of pain is chi stagnation (blockage), blood stagnation or both. It is said where there is pain there is stagnation — the use of acupuncture and herbs activate chi and blood and move stagnation to resolve pain. The modern scientific explanation is that needling certain acupuncture points stimulates the nervous system to release chemicals in the muscles, spinal cord and brain. These chemicals can reduce the experience of pain, create relaxation and trigger the release of other chemicals and hormones which influence the body’s own internal regulating system. The improved energy and biochemical balance produced by acupuncture stimulates the body’s natural healing abilities.

Building strong fertility for both men and women with acupuncture and TCM dates back 2,000 years. In older couples, acupuncture can address erectile dysfunction, low sperm count, poor sperm morphology, painful intercourse and low libido, while improving the quality of both the egg and sperm. Researchers from Weill Cornell Medical in New York concluded acupuncture helps:

  • Regulate the menstrual cycle.
  • Increase blood flow to the uterus — improving chances of implantation.
  • Reduce stress and anxiety, as hormones secreted during stress can significantly decrease fertility.
  • Normalize endocrine systems that regulate ovulation — also helpful in women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.

In 2008, the British Medical Journal published research concluding acupuncture can be a significant, clinically relevant adjunct to IVF, relaxing the uterus and increasing blood flow for the successful implantation of an embryo.

Acupuncture is also safe and effective in pregnancy, helping with:

  • Poor memory
  • Pregnancy rhinitis
  • Swelling of hands and feet
  • Gestational diabetes and preeclampsia
  • Insomnia, anxiety and depression
  • Low back pain
  • Hip pain, neck and shoulder tension, achy joints, carpal tunnel, numbness and tingling in fingers, sciatica and more

In the postpartum years, acupuncture is excellent for building strong blood and energy in new moms, helping:

  • Prevent and treat postpartum depression and anxiety that can sometime come with new motherhood
  • Regulate sleep
  • Treat minor aches and pains from carrying baby
  • Relieve stress

And for the pre- and post-childbearing years, acupuncture provides support for:

  • Teens at onset of menarche
  • Diet, nutrition and lifestyle counseling to support healthy cycles and ease pre and post menopausal transitions
  • Menstrual cycle balancing
  • Mood balancing
  • Perimenopause and Menopause hormonal fluctuations and symptoms such as hot flashes, vaginal dryness, night sweats, urinary problems, depression, irritability, insomnia and fatigue

Acupuncture takes your body into such a deep state of relaxation that the needles don’t hurt — most patients feel only a minimal prick as needles are inserted; some feel nothing at all. Patients quickly become believers when they experience the deep relaxation and healing power of acupuncture.

So instead of “take this pill to fix what ails you,” acupuncturists say, “try this needle, or this herbal remedy; it will remind your body of what it innately knows how to do — balance, relax, heal and transform!”

To add to your family’s healthy chi energy flowing, contact Charlotte at Peoples Wellness Center North for your personalized TCM, acupuncture and holistic healthcare experience, or attend her upcoming seminar, Acupuncture for Pregnancy Care and Postpartum Recovery.

Charlotte Sobeck, MSOM, L.Ac. practices Functional Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Acupuncture for the entire family, and specializes in fertility, prenatal, postpartum and pediatric care. She also practices pediatric Tui Na, an acupressure massage for infants and children that strengthens the immune system and treats common childhood health issues. Charlotte’s practice includes holistic healthcare consulting with a functional medicine approach.