What parents say

16 year old girl with anxiety
‘I took my daughter for acupuncture when she was 16 because her anxiety had reached a level where she was barely attending school.  I hadn’t realised that she could have acupuncture without needles but when a friend told me this was possible my daughter was keen to try it.  With the acupuncturist’s care and sensitive approach, my daughter’s anxiety lessened greatly.   The turnaround in my daughter’s mental health has been astonishing. Now, two years later, she has gone off to university and is blossoming in every way.’ Nicola

15 year old boy struggling with emotional control
‘Acupuncture has helped my son more than I can say.  He was really struggling with his emotions, his feelings of frustration and low self esteem. After just a few sessions, we began to see a significant improvement.  He started to be able to articulate his emotions instead of ‘acting out’.  Over a few months of treatment, his self-esteem improved.   This had a direct and positive impact on our whole family.’ Wendy

11 year old boy with sleep problems
‘I took my son to acupuncture for insomnia which had started when he was about 6 years old and took a turn for the worse when he was 10 years old. He spent many a night either crying because he was scared and being awake for hours and hours.  At his first appointment, I could see him relax in the care of the acupuncturist.  After eight session, he was sleeping well every night.  We occasionally go for top ups now, during stressful times.  He loves his treatment and recognises how much it has helped him.’ Caroline

9 year old boy with bedwetting
‘My son had always wet his bed several times a week when I decided to try acupuncture. The acupuncturist was reassuring and adapted her treatment depending on how my son was feeling each week.  I am delighted to say that, after twelve treatments in total, my son was dry at night and has remained that way ever since.’  Deborah

11 year old girl with asthma and chronic cough
‘My daughter has dealt with respiratory issues since she was 18 months old and, following recommendations and research, we visited an acupuncturist. Over the course of treatment we were given a lot of useful information about dietary modifications and other practical approaches to my daughter’s condition. Her symptoms have now receded and she has not needed to use her inhaler (which she previously used several times a day) for months.  It has been wonderful to witness my daughter blossom and grow in so many ways as her physical health has improved.’ Lucy

4 year old boy with glue ear and chronic cough
‘My 4 year old son has been having acupuncture for about a year.  We noticed subtle changes to his health and behaviour right from the start.  With ongoing treatment, we have been able to avoid surgery for grommets and the removal of his adenoids.   Where once a cold would turn into months of snot, coughs and terrible hearing it is now a minor event that just lasts a few days.’ Jess

13 year old boy with severe eczema and asthma
‘My son had been suffering from severe eczema and asthma since he was 6 months old.  He had relied on steroid medication and his condition needed a lot of management.  I was recommended acupuncture by a friend and, in desperation, we decided to try it. 

At the start, both my son and I felt a little afraid of seeing the needles.  Amazingly, as soon as the three needles had been inserted without any pain, my son fell asleep.  For me, it was like magic and I couldn’t believe my eyes!  He slept peacefully for twenty minutes until we woke him.

My son’s reliance on steroid medication has hugely reduced.  The eczema on his face has almost entirely disappeared.  He sleeps much more soundly and is generally thriving.  This has all happened just as he made the transition from primary to secondary school.  Usually, something stressful like that would have exacerbated his symptoms but they have actually improved enormously.’ Kiyomi

11 year old girl with ME/CFS (Chronic-fatigue/post-viral syndrome)
‘I brought my daughter for acupuncture when she was in the depths of ME. She was failing to thrive, suffering from headaches and brain fog and terribly sound sensitive. She could no longer go to school because she was too weak, and on some days she could not get out of bed. We had tried many other treatments, both alternative and orthodox, nothing helped for long.

The acupuncture treatments started to work gradually right away. My daughter’s strength and her clarity of mind began to return for longer periods. The difference after each session was clear, and it stayed. The acupuncturist’s kindness and ability to listen intently meant that our family felt properly heard for the first time by any medical professional — and we had seen many. This meant we could tackle the illness as a team. The cure did not happen overnight. It never will with ME. It takes consistent commitment from everyone. But my daughter is well again now thanks to acupuncture, and that feels like a miracle.’ Christina

6 month old baby with severe vomiting
‘I brought my son to see an acupuncturist when at 6 months old he was still vomiting constantly between feeds. Most days, he would vomit between up to 20  times.   I had sought help from the doctors but did not want to go down a drug treatment route, which was all they could offer.   

The acupuncturist was very reassuring and  listened carefully to what I had to say about my son’s condition.  I treated him gently with moxa and a few needles which never seemed to bother him. Heimproved quickly with the treatment, alongside the great dietary advice the acupuncturist gave us. After just six sessions, he was just vomiting a couple of times first thing in the morning. He went from being miserable and grouchy to happy and sociable.’ Rachel

5 year old with severe food allergies
‘By the time we explored acupuncture as a treatment, our daughter had undergone three years of ill-health, with ever more extreme and invasive conventional medical treatments, and had only just received a formal diagnosis.  Our acupuncturist has worked with us gently and compassionately to improve our daughter’s health, always working alongside, and respectful of, the conventional medical input that we still receive.  She warned us that it might be a long road, but in fact most of our daughter’s symptoms have already been vastly improved. I could not believe the difference even after our first session – our daughter went in extremely agitated and with really severe insomnia (among other symptoms!), and came out calm and able to sleep. Since then, many other symptoms have also improved hugely in response to the treatment.

Our daughter sums it up best – this is straight from her; “Acupuncture is amazing.  I look forward to it, and it makes me feel better and happy.’ Martha

3 year old girl with recurrent urinary tract infections
‘My three year old daughter was suffering from recurrent urinary tract infections and was getting infections every 4 weeks. At this time we were also under the care of our local hospital. Urinary tract infections in a child of such a young age can be serious and lead to lasting damage, which as a family we were concerned about.  We were also worried with the potential effects of taking repeat antibiotics. After initial treatments my daughter’s infections reduced in frequency and severity, there was 4 months between her next infection, then 6 months, then a year. During the time she has been treated with acupuncture my daughter has not taken antibiotics. 

Initially my daughter was treated with massage and acupressure and as she got older with very fine needles. This has never bothered her and she has on occasion fallen to sleep during her treatment. She enjoys and looks forward to her appointments.’ Alison