Even healthy children are extremely vulnerable to common viruses, allergies, and illnesses. Antibiotics are used more and more frequently for childhood ailments, but one problem with this is the possibility of overuse. Bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics when this form of medicine is over-prescribed or becomes too common. Western and traditional Chinese medicine doctors are combining efforts to educate the public about the problems with, and misuse of, antibiotics, as well as the available alternatives for children. Children are some of the patients that are most susceptible to the stronger, more resistant strains of bacteria that are created by the over-prescription of antibiotics.

Among the alternatives to antibiotics is traditional Chinese medicine. A gentler, subtler approach for children is Chinese herbal therapy, as well as various forms of massage, acupuncture, and specific dietary guidelines. Some of the problems that these methods can easily alleviate include colds, ear infections, allergies, and even skin problems such as eczema, which has a strong correlation to breathing problems like asthma. In a study performed by the University of Michigan and the Beijing Heart, Lung, and Blood Vessel Research Center in 2004, 102 children who took Chinese herbal medicine for their mild intermittent asthma were compared with 109 children with similar asthma who used only Western medicine. The children using only Western medicine were three times more likely to make hospital emergency department visits, twice as likely to report symptoms, and five times as likely to use bronchodilators as children using Chinese herbal medicine.

Herbal formulas and eardrops have also been known to quickly cure extreme ear infections in infants. Also, parents are often taught techniques used in tui na massage, a practice which is meant to reenergize a person's qi (life force), open the body's defensive abilities, and get the energy moving in both the meridians and the muscles. The therapeutic power of touch, especially in infants and very young children, is an often under-estimated form of healing.

Traditional Chinese medicine can even extend to conditions such as bedwetting, which is known as pediatric enuresis. In fact, this is one of the most common conditions targeted and cured by TCM. In 2002, Dr. Zhao Ling performed a study using Chinese herbs to aid pediatric enerusis. His findings were published in the Sichuan Journal of Chinese Medicine (#8, 2002), and were extremely positive. An herb formula called Yi Qi Suo Niao Yin (Boost the Qi & Reduce Urine Beverage), composed of 15 different Chinese herbs, was applied to 20 children, with each formula personalized to the child's age, size, and level of the condition. Each treatment took seven days, and in 15 out of the 20 cases, symptoms disappeared after just one treatment. There was an obvious decrease in bedwetting in the 15 children after five treatments, and after 20 treatments, ten of the children were cured altogether.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, otherwise known as ADHD, is another common condition in children that has been alleviated with TCM. According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, ADHD is caused by the deficiency of Kidney Yin energy. Chinese herbal formulas with Yin energy tonic herbs are often used. Commonly used herbs include Rehmannia root, Anemarrhena root, Phellodendron bark, Polygala root, Acori graminei root, and Dioscorea opposita. In the late 80's and early 90's, Doctor Zhang and colleagues performed a series of studies testing the effects of TCM on children with ADHD. One such study treated 326 children from the ages of four to 16 with a Chinese herbal formula called Jing Ling Extract. Herbal extract was given to the children twice a day for three months. They reported that 31.9% of the cases were cured (this includes the disappearance of all clinical symptoms, significant improvement in school records, negative coordinate movement test, and no recurrence for six months). Including improved cases, the effectiveness rate was 94.8 percent. Zhang also tested a similar formula, Jing Ling Pill, in a separate open trial with 557 children (454 males and 103 females) from the ages of four to 16. The pills were given twice a day for up to six months. They found that 144 cases (25.8%) were cured and the effectiveness rate was 92.8 percent. Chinese herbal remedies are effective because they are prescribed individually and are custom written for the specific needs of each child. Each formula can have anywhere from four to 15 herbs, and many herbs have anti-bacterial or anti-viral properties. Acupuncture for children is performed with great care, and is a more moderate version of that given to adults. Usually only two to three points on the body are attended, fewer than the average adult treatment. Children are actually more responsive to acupuncture than adults, and so the length of treatment is less. If the child or parent has an aversion to the use of needles, there are a number of related treatments that don't require the actual insertion of them. One nvolves a Japanese style of pediatric acupuncture (shonishin) which involves combs, rollers, and brushes to stimulate various acupuncture points and chan nels of the child's body. The skin is never pierced, and the child's qi is still balanced. Many children find this treatment very soothing.

Dietary changes are another important element to Oriental medicine. Breast milk is highly encouraged for infants, and if a breastfed baby has health problems, the mother's diet is often examined as well. Dairy products and food additives are believed to create phlegm and toxicity, and are some of the first irritants to be evaluated. In Chinese medicine, the lungs and large intestine are yin/yang-paired organs, meaning that the one affects the other. For a child with breathing difficulties, a dietary change and improvement in the large intestine could greatly aid the lungs as well. Getting children to drink water at a young age is encouraged, especially in the place of high fructose fruit juices.

Children are the most cherished members of any society, and caring for them is a priority. Western and Eastern medicine in conjunction can provide optimal health for kids of all ages. Both parents and doctors are becoming more aware of the benefits that this ancient wisdom can offer to the smallest of patients. OM