When
Saturday 14th to Saturday 29th January 2023.
What time?
Talks will take place between the above dates, at 5pm GMT/12pm EST on weekends, and 8pm GMT/3pm EST or 6pm GMT/ 1pm EST on weekdays. Each talk will last up to 2 hours, including time for questions.*
‘Lifetime Access Ticket’ holders will have lifetime access to the recordings of all the conference talks.**
Where is the Conference?
In the comfort of your own home or anywhere with a good internet connection! Talks will be held on zoom.
*Please note that Julian Scott’s talk ‘The Electronic Babysitter’ on Tuesday 24th January will be pre-recorded so there will be no Q & A.
**This is with the exception of Assaf Mor’s talk ‘Nocturnal Enuresis’ on Saturday 21st January, which must be watched live.
The First Cycle of Jing
Su Wen Chapter 1 explains that life has different phases, which last approximately seven or eight years each. As seems fitting for the first ever International Paediatric Acupuncture Conference, the theme is the first cycle of life.
All our speakers will focus on the Chinese Medicine understanding, diagnosis and treatment of babies and children in these first crucial years of life. This is an opportunity for you to deepen and further your knowledge and clinical skills with this age group and learn from an incredible line up of the most skilled and knowledgeable speakers.
Scroll down to see our incredible line up of speakers, including their bios and details of their talks. Each talk will last up to 2 hours, including time for questions.
Click here to download the Conference schedule
Conference ticket holders will also have the opportunity to join a panel discussion with paediatric acupuncture experts David Allen, Assaf Mor, Luriko Ozeki and Rebecca Avern who will discuss how to create a thriving paediatric practice on Sunday 29th January 2023.
There are two ticket options:
Live Ticket
For those who can attend the talks live and want access to all aspects of the conference and perks. If you don’t want to be able to watch or refer back to the talks at your leisure, and you don’t want PDA points, this is the ideal ticket.
Lifetime Access Ticket
For those who want lifetime access to recordings of each talk, as well as the opportunity to attend live. This ticket gives you access to all aspects of the conference and perks, while also giving you the option for self-paced learning and to be awarded NCCAOM distance-learning PDA’s.
For more details and to buy your ticket click here.
Early bird tickets are now sold out.
Click here for our FAQs
David graduated from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in with his masters in 2007, and again with his doctorate in 2016, having spent many years studying directly under Alex Tiberi, widely considered to be the foremost expert on pediatric acupuncture and herbalism in the Western world. Part of this training included developing painless, needle-free alternatives to acupuncture, and safe, healthy, and tasty herbal formulas for a wide variety of conditions.
David travels extensively in Korea and China furthering his studies in pediatrics. David is a faculty member at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, the nation’s educational leader in Traditional East Asian Medicine. He also supervises acupuncture students at the Integrative Medicine program at Rady’s Children’s Hospital of San Diego.
Mental Development According to the Five Phases
With David Allen LAc on Sat 14th January 2023
In this talk we will be looking at mental and emotional development in the first 7-8 years.
According to Chinese medicine there is a very specific course of development that follows the 5 Phases, and goes a long way to helping parents and practitioners understand the changes children are going through. This developmental notion even seeks to explain the nature of early childhood trauma and how that can affect adulthood.
These formative years follow a specific cycle, and this course will explain how to recognize and adapt to these changes.
Venerating the Root: Preventative Medicine in Traditional Chinese Pediatrics
With Sabine Wilms PhD on Sun 15th January 2023
In this lecture, Dr. Sabine Wilms will explore the concept of preventative medicine or “yangsheng” from the classical Chinese perspective as it relates to pediatrics. On the basis of Sun Simiao’s foundational writings on pediatrics and supplemented by other early classical texts, we shall consider the following questions: How can we use the framework of “yangsheng” (nurturing life) to inform the clinical treatment of children and their parents; educate pediatric patients and their parents with lifestyle, dietary, and other advice; and inspire our community of family, friends, patients, and colleagues?
Ultimately, Dr. Wilms will consider how Chinese medicine, and the treatment of children and families in particular, can contribute to a global paradigm shift wherein the doctor, as a practitioner of “cosmic medicine,” through their work embodies the traditional Chinese ideal of harmonizing Heaven and Earth, by treating not separate individual bodies, but families, communities, and the macrocosm at large, thereby changing the way we exist and act in the world.
Sabine Wilms PhD, is the author and translator of two dozen books on Chinese medicine, from classical translations to integrative fertility treatments, working in Chinese, German, and English.
In addition to writing, translating, and publishing her work through her company Happy Goat Productions, she lectures around the world and mentors students through her mentorship program at www.imperialtutor.com.
She also runs a rigorous training program in Chinese medicine translation and is building a translation collective at www.translatingChinesemedicine.com.
Moshe Heller is a graduate of Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, San Diego. He is the former academic dean and has chaired the department of oriental medicine, herbal medicine and clinic at Pacific College, New York.
Moshe has been practicing and teaching Chinese Medicine for the past 26 years. He has been teaching in various schools in Israel and the US and has developed a yearlong certification course in Chinese medical pediatrics with Dr. Stephen Cowan. He also lectured at the Pacific Symposium in San Diego, FSOMA Conference in Florida, TCM Kongress in Germany and ICCM conference in Israel.
Supporting the Earth in the First Cycle of Life
With Moshe Heller LAc on Tues 17th January 2023
In this course we will discuss the importance of strengthening the earth in the first cycle of life as the basis for proper development, improved immunity, and health for years to come.
We will cover different techniques and lifestyle suggestions such as diet and the introduction of foods as well as tui na techniques for the support of the spleen function.
We will also review common disease categories resulting from an imbalanced earth such as Colic and GERD and their treatment with acupuncture Tui Na and Herbs.
Pre-Heaven Acupuncture for Mother and Child
With Ruthild Schulze on Thurs 19th January 2023
In 1985 I became familiar with Dr Zhang’s 14 points of pregnancy. In an effort to understand his simple system, I undertook research to show the connections between the constitution of the parents, the course of pregnancy, the birth experience and also symptoms in early childhood. All these parts are connected.
When we examine the 10 months of pregnancy, we can make sense of the baby’s symptoms in the first 10 months of life. Above all, however, we can recognize and preventatively treat problems during pregnancy. By using acupuncture to support the nature of the pre-heaven time, we can help the mother and also reduce the burden on the baby.
I will show how Chinese medicine practitioners can draw conclusions about the five phases of pregnancy, each trimester and the trimester changes by talking to the mother about her health during this time.
We will discuss how we can promote the health of children through targeted planning of acupuncture treatment during pregnancy. You will leave with a deeper understanding about how parental constitution, pregnancy and birth affect a child’s health, and with a strategy for preventing childhood illness through treating the mother during pregnancy.
Ruthild was born in Germany in 1960. She trained in Chinese medicine between 1984 and 1988 and has been in practice ever since. Her main areas of interest are fertility, pregnancy support and paediatrics. She has done further training in process-oriented psychology and prenatal bodywork.
Ruthild regularly teaches Chinese Medicine in Germany and Switzerland. Her publications include A pregnancy disc Wu Xing, as well as two books on paediatrics in German. The first is about acupuncture and children, the second is about children conceived with assisted fertilization.
Elisa Rossi is an MD and a Licensed Acupuncturist. She also has a B.A. in Philosophy, a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and is a Licensed Psychotherapist (Jungian). In 1983, after a 3-year Course in Acupuncture in Milan, Elisa attended a Training Course of TCM in Beijing. She went back to China 8 more times to gain clinical experience. Since 2006, she has been a member of Milan Medical Board for Non-Conventional Medicine. Beside treating adults, since 2005 she has run the Xiaoxiao clinic, a Chinese Medicine Children’s’ Centre.
Elisa has lectured in Australia, Austria, Denmark, Germany, Israel, Holland, Poland, Switzerland and the UK. Her English publications include: Shen – Psycho-Emotional Aspects of Chinese Medicine (2007), Pediatrics in Chinese Medicine (2011), and The Therapeutic Relationship (being published). She has written numerous articles, most of which have been published in the European Journal of Oriental Medicine (1995, 2000, 2005, 2012, 2019) and the Journal of Chinese Medicine, (2007, 2010, 2017).
The Clinical Encounter with Children and Parents
With Elisa Rossi on Friday 20th January 2023
We work with children that are in trouble and with their parents who hope we can make it all better. It is a delicate situation: our paediatric practice may be very demanding in terms of clinical interaction. The therapeutic relationship is a key component of clinical practice: treating patients is not only a matter of diagnosis and treatment methods, as is evidenced by the great attention the Classics pay to the encounter of patient and practitioner.
Each of us has a different approach to the patient and to the treatment, I do not think there is one correct approach, but I do find it most beneficial to give it some attention. This talk discusses ways to approach the treatment of children, both with needles and tuina. It explores ways to relate to parents – in terms of behaviour and communication, beginning with an exploration of what the interaction moves inside us.
We will explore why we feel puzzled, exasperated, angry, inadequate, hopeless or wounded. We will consider the dynamics of transference and empathy, the use of silence and words, the choice of a yin attitude in treatment, the difficulties in changing dysfunctional habits, as well as the management of time, requests and money.
Nocturnal Enuresis: A Night Story of Worry, Fear & Shame
With Assaf Mor on Sat 21st January 2023
As with many pathologies and especially in children, bedwetting is also accompanied by fear and worry and sometimes even shame.
Fear and worry of losing control, fear and worry of the embarrassment, fear and worry of the future to come. But what do you do when fear and worry are the core of the problem? How do you solve the problem when the aetiology is the same as the symptoms?
In this practical workshop we will focus on the physiological and emotional background of primary and secondary nocturnal enuresis.
We will learn how to choose treatment strategies in the treatment room and at home with acupuncture and herbs. We will discuss how to manage the treatments and the expectations from the treatment as a single treatment and with combination with drug treatment.
Please note that this talk will not be recorded and can only be watched live.
Manager & Owner of Refuot – Integrative Medical Center, Expert in Chinese Medicine Pediatrics and General Practice in Chinese Medicine. Assaf practices acupuncture, shiatsu, herbal therapy and qi gong, specializing in the treatment of children, adolescents and adults. Assaf practices a unique combination of Classical Chinese medicine philosophy with modern approach based on Japanese practice. This combination allows him to adjust the treatment to the patient by applying a gentle but effective techniques.
Assaf is a graduate of Broshim Campus for Integrative Medicine in the Tel Aviv University in Shiatsu and Chinese medicine, continued his studies in Classical Chinese medicine, Stems & Branches, Meridian Theories, Pediatric Acupuncture, Manual and Herbal Medicine, Shonishin and KMI Japanese Acupuncture. Assaf completed an advanced clinical internship in acupuncture at the Guan An Man Hospital in Beijing and continues to learn and professionalize in courses around the world.
Assaf is the founder and Co-owner of the ICCM -The International Community for Chinese Medicine, Based in Israel that is focused on promoting knowledge and professionalism in Chinese Medicine and organizes the Annual ICCM Congress, one of the leading professional congresses in Chinese Medicine in Europe.
Sandra Robertson is a Registered Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner (R.TCM.P), licensed to practice acupuncture and herbal medicine in B.C. with the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of British Columbia (CTCMA).
She is the author of Treating Children with Chinese Dietary Therapy published in 2021 by Singing Dragon. This book goes in-depth on how to use diet to help strengthen and protect a child’s digestion, how to treat common childhood ailments with food therapy, the importance of the developing microbiome, and also includes easy nourishing recipes.
Nourish Children's Post-natal Jing with Diet
With Sandra Robertson on Sun 22nd January 2023
A child’s first cycle of Jing is a crucial time for setting the foundation of their future health. Post-natal Jing is partly created from food and drink and depends on the ability of the Spleen and Stomach to break it down, extract and transport the nutrients into Qi. This replenishment prevents the need to deep into the reservoir of Pre-natal Jing for Qi. Since children’s Spleen and Stomach are inherently weak, it is vital to nourish and strengthen these organs of digestion to optimize this process. Current research is validating the importance of promoting a healthy diet during growth and development in the early years to foster health and immunity and prevent chronic illness.
In this talk, I will cover the immature Spleen in children and how to protect and nourish it through Chinese Medicine dietary principles. I will discuss the connection between digestion and food with Jing and how the Pre-natal Jing of a child can be influenced by the diet of the mother and father. I will also highlight current research that supports these Chinese Medicine concepts of paediatric health. When treating children we must take their diet into account; proper nourishment and food is potent medicine as well as powerful Jing preservation.
The Electronic Babysitter - the Long Term Effect of iPads for Toddlers
With Julian Scott on Tues 24th January 2023
There are now iPads and other Electronic Tablets with programs for the very young. Many of these programs are designed to be addictive, and so the early years of many babies and children are spent in front of a screen, rather than interacting with people, animals and the physical world.
Quite apart from the effect this will have on social interaction, it can have long term consequences both on the direction of life and on physical health. The direction their life can be distorted by unrealistic expectations of the world. Their physical health can be drastically altered, as over-use of the brain in the formative years has the effect of directing Jing towards brain
development, with less available for other aspects of growth. When puberty arrives, there can be insufficient Jing for proper development, resulting in life-long infertility, or sub-fertility. The consequences in old age have yet to appear.
Please note that this talk will be pre-recorded so there will be no Q & A.
Julian Scott is one of the world’s most eminent paediatric acupuncture specialists. He has been treating children with acupuncture and Western herbs for 45 years after first studying under Dr. van Buren in the UK.
He sought further study in Nanjing China where Dr. Jiang Caiyun taught him her uniquely skillful ‘gentle needle’ techniques. With this specialist training and a passion for acupuncture and natural medicine – including diet, this enabled him to open a special clinic for children in Brighton, UK.
He is author of Acupuncture in the Treatment of Children and Acupuncture and Autism. He has also produced a number of DVD’s, notably the ‘Gentle Needle’.
Julian has taught paediatrics internationally for many years. He now has a reduced practice in Bath, UK. He is a visiting lecturer at the Athens College of East Asian Medicine.
Rebecca has treated children with acupuncture for over 20 years, and now treats exclusively children and teenagers. She founded and runs two children’s acupuncture clinics in Oxford, one of which offers affordable acupuncture to children and the opportunity for practitioner internships.
Rebecca teaches a year-long diploma in acupuncture paediatrics in the UK, as well as extensively online and internationally. She has been a senior faculty member at the College of Integrated Chinese Medicine, UK for the past 15 years.
Rebecca is the author of the textbook Acupuncture for Babies, Children and Teenagers and also of Chinese Medicine for Childhood Anxiety and Depression: a practical guide for practitioners and parents.
Rebecca founded the Hub of Paediatric Acupuncture (www.paediatricacupuncture.com), an online community providing information for parents and support to practitioners who treat children.
Yin-Fire in Children: a 21st Century Pathology
With Rebecca Avern on Thurs 26th January 2023
Many children present in the clinic with a condition that does not easily fit into our usual classification of the deficient (xu) or excess (shi) child. We see a mixed picture. There are signs and symptoms of deficiency, alongside those of Heat. Yet the Heat signs and
symptoms are not reconcilable with either Full or Empty Heat. Where do we start? Should we focus on tonifying or clearing?
Once we understand the concept of yin fire, everything begins to make more sense. The first complete and influential description of yin fire was written by Li Dong-yuan in his Treatise on Stomach and Spleen (Pi Wei Lun) in 1250CE. Modern authors e.g. Maciocia, Flaws, discuss the role of yin fire in complex, physical conditions usually seen in adults, such as cancer and auto-immune conditions.
However, in this talk we will explore how yin fire really is the 21 st century pathology in children. So many commonly-seen aspects of children’s lives lead to it arising. It is involved in some of the most widespread childhood behavioural and emotional conditions. You will come away knowing how to both spot it and treat it with acupuncture. This will revolutionise your paediatric practice!
The Spirit of San Jiao and the Five Phase Unfolding of Child Development
With Stephen Cowan on Sat 28th January 2023
The Unfolding of Life: San Jiao and the Five Phases in the Developing Child.
The miracle of how a child transforms from birth into adulthood offers clear evidence of the functions of the five phases/wuxing. Over the past 30 years, Dr. Stephen Cowan has been using this model to guide parents in optimizing the growth and development of their child.
In this workshop we will explore the unfolding of life in the first seven year cycle with special attention to the importance of San Jiao function as the driver of growth and development.
Stephen Cowan MD is a board-certified pediatrician with over 35 years of clinical experience working with children. He has a subspecialty in Developmental Pediatrics and is a fellow in the American Academy of Pediatrics serving as a member of the AAP section on Developmental Disabilities. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Family & Community Medicine at NY Medical College and a member of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture. He lectures internationally and is the author of Fire Child Water Child: How understanding the five types of ADHD can help you improve your child’s self-esteem and attention.
Dr. Cowan has a consultation practice in New York where he specializes in complex and chronic medical conditions that affect child development. He is founder and education director of the non-profit Tournesol Kids that envisions a world where all children are heroes, inspired to grow and discover wellbeing by celebrating their unique powers and learning to share them with the world.