Shonishin – a modification of acupuncture to treat babies and young
children
Working here in Galloway I am very rarely asked to give treatment to young children. Since
most peoples’ understanding of acupuncture is probably quite limited, and many are wary
of needles themselves, taking their child to an acupuncturist is probably the last thing they
would think of. But this is such a shame, because the gentle holistic approach of Oriental
medicine has so much to offer children. For parents who are concerned about the possible
adverse effects of modern medicine on their children, and are looking for a more natural
approach, traditional acupuncture and shonishin therapy can offer a very different and
rewarding way to support the health of their child.
Shonishin is a Japanese term that literally means “Childrens’ needle”. It refers to a practice
that dates back about 300 years, to a time when acupuncture tools and techniques were no
doubt alot rougher than they are these days. Shonishin probably developed as acupuncture
practitioners looked for a gentler approach that did not hurt or frighten children, leaving
them calm and easier to treat effectively. It has been widely used in Japan since the early
20th century. There are still very few practitioners in the UK, but I was lucky enough to
receive training from my acupuncture mentor Stephen Birch, who has been treating
children for over 25 years and played a major role in introducing these techniques into
Europe, Australia and the USA.
Although shonishin is based on theories of oriental medicine and acupuncture, one big
difference is that normal acupuncture needles are not used. Instead, modified forms of a
very mild stimulation are provided by various metal tools being gently tapped, stroked,
rubbed or pressed on the body surface without insertion into the skin. Shonishin tools come
in many fascinating shapes and sizes, and each practitioner tends to have their own
preferred selection or may even design their own. Here is a photo of some that I use.
Stroking would usually be done down the arms legs and torso, using a round ended tool
such as the enshin. The rounded end of the yoneyama is also used to stroke or rub, by
holding it quite flat against the skin, whilst the pointed end can be held between the finger
and thumb, but not protruding, and lightly tapped on the skin to stimulate a particular
point. Pressing of points can be achieved using the spring-loaded teishin, a blunt ended tool
which is bounced up and down on the skin to give a mild vibration. The choice of technique
and the complexity of the treatment depends on the age of the child – very young babies
need only the most simple treatment that may last only a couple of minutes.
One of the most important things to bear in mind when treating children is how sensitive
they are. Since babies cannot talk they can only express themselves through their emotions.
These are uncontrolled and can be easily triggered, leading to an emotional outburst which
upsets the whole body, confusing the diagnosis and making treatment difficult. Obviously
this situation needs to be avoided, and I may spend at least half of any appointment finding
ways to help the child feel settled and calm before we begin the treatment. With slightly
older babies who are more aware of what I am doing, curiosity and suspicion can impede
progress – usually they want to grab the tools I am using and suck them! Of course, there is
always at least one parent at hand to help but we sometimes need to be quite creative in
applying effective treatment which they think is all part of a game.
Compared with older people babies have a much faster physiology, heart beat, breathing
rate and so on – and their energy will move very quickly when stimulated. Just as they need
smaller doses of medicine, they also need much less stimulation from shonishin tools. Part
of the skill of shonishin is to learn how to recognise subtle changes in the skin tone during
treatment, as this is a way of monitoring the child’s response. I remember treating a 4 year
old girl once and I must have done too much because she had an uncharacteristic fit of
giggles for about 15 minutes afterwards, to the amazement of her mother. In most cases,
with a correctly judged treatment the child should be calm and relaxed afterwards, and
perfectly happy to return for another treatment.
What kind of things can be treated with shonishin?
Most young babies have problems related to either respiration (including coughing, asthma,
stuffy nose), nourishment (eating, digesting, and eliminating their food and growing at the
appropriate rate) or sleep. Shonishin techniques of stroking, tapping etc. are aimed at
general improvement of the vitality of the body and regulation of these various functions.
Because of their volatile emotions, the Qi, or life force energy of young babies tends to
move upwards – hence the red face, frantic crying, inability to settle, etc. This can lead to
what acupuncturists call counterflow Qi, where the downward flowing energy needed to
keep food going through the system and nourishing the lower parts of the body is disrupted,
and symptoms such as coughing, vomiting, bedwetting and diarrhoea can develop. Stroking
along energy pathways in a downward direction can have a remarkable calming effect on
the baby, whilst gentle stimulation of specific areas such as the belly or upper chest can help
to redistribute the energy and relieve symptoms.
Sometimes treating children seems almost miraculous. Once, while staying in a small town
in South Africa, I was asked to help a 3 year old girl who had fallen and badly injured her
arm. It was not broken but was swollen and so painful that she had not stopped crying for
days and could not sleep at all. I visited the family in their tiny shack. None could speak
English so diagnosis was a matter of gently feeling the skin surface. I did not really know
what I could do, but it was clear that the family, all crowded round, had high expectations of
this White “doctor”. While her mother held her, I did some stroking along the energy
channels of her arm, and left a tiny gold bead on a weak point on her wrist to stimulate the
energy flow. The little girl was quite happy after her treatment but I told them all not to
expect too much change. The next morning I had a visit from the mother to say that the
child had slept all night and was now outside playing with her friends and using her arm
without pain!
As children develop, their bodies and energy systems become more complex and this simple
treatment model has to be expanded. With children over 3 years old I usually use a
combination of very gentle non-insertive acupuncture and shonishin techniques. It can be
very rewarding to see how quickly they respond to treatment, compared with older people
whose conditions have become chronic and difficult to shift. I have seen acupuncture help
children to overcome problems such as anxiety, digestive problems, eczema, hayfever, eye
problems and even mild epilepsy.
Childrens’ illnesses can impact on their whole family and the decision to choose
acupuncture treatment can become a new and interesting journey for the parents as well as
the child. It is often very beneficial to teach parents how to carry out simply techniques such
as stroking and tapping (improvised tools such as silver spoons can be used), so they can
continue daily treatment at home between visits to the clinic. I may also give advice on
dietary issues that could be affecting the child’s health. Most parents are very pleased that
they can do something themselves to help, and sometimes it gives them a new way of
understanding their child’s problem.