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Guest blogger Peter Hanfileti, MD, of Principles for Parents website and Blog has been trained in both traditional Western and alternative medicine. As he proclaimed on Part One of Energy Medicine and Kids, “The energy medicine system is real, useful, ubiquitous and valuable as an educational tool and as a treatment strategy.” Here is Part Two:
“One of the systems that does an incredible job of tying things together is the Chinese medicine system and specifically the acupuncture and meridian system. While there are those who are skeptical of the validity of this system, for me it provides a very logical and reproducible framework within which to gather information about a child, to educate the parents and family about the energy dynamics playing a role in their child’s situation, and finally a treatment strategy which is consistent and meaningful once the full picture is realized.
Many years ago, I had the experience of witnessing a young child who was 5 or 6 years old, not only feel the energy movement within his own body upon acupoint stimulation, but he was able to accurately trace the pathway up the legs and torso to the lateral chest, exactly as depicted on acupuncture pathway diagrams in ancient textbooks. It would have been one thing to have one single child with the ability to discern this, but over the years I have had so many I have lost count. Suffice it to say, this ability is quite common among younger kids, and it is not a surprise to me anymore.
One of the energy medicine principles I describe in my new ebook, called Energy Medicine Principles for Parents, is something I call “distribution”. This simply means that your child’s energy system follows a unique and individually derived pattern of energy distribution according to their needs in the moment. However, this pattern is based on what your child has experienced in their past, coupled with the current environmental situation (which includes physical, emotional, mental and relationship components). And all of this combines together to result in “settings” or holding patterns from an energy perspective that dictate how your child’s system functions.
Because this is a more complicated picture than saying your child is “hyperactive”, or has some other named diagnosis or condition, the time required to adequately cover such an elusive subject is prohibitive for many practitioners. I understand this, and readily admit that most physicians and practices will not be able to provide this type of evaluation. However, I think the value to you as parents is so remarkable and useful that it deserves a closer look and consideration if your child has a situation that is not readily amenable to the conventional approach or if you have exhausted all diagnostic and therapeutic options.
I believe that many parents are looking for more holistic, natural and non-invasive ways to help their children and they will often seek out alternatives first. As a pediatrician, I feel obligated to at least let more parents know about what the energy medicine system has to offer. For patients in my practice, it has been the dominant educational piece I emphasize and I have been using it for almost ten years now.
I encourage those of you who may be interested to exercise due diligence and find out if there are practitioners in your area with expertise working with the pediatric age group and who are using one or several of the energy medicine modalities available. These might include acupuncture/acupoint stimulation, BodyTalk, craniosacral, reiki, massage, reflexology, essential oils, color light therapies, and other hands on techniques.
Exploring the energy medicine approach to healthcare can open up a whole new vista of explanation and treatment possibilities for you, your child, and your whole family.”
~Peter Hanfileti, MD
What are your experiences with energy medicine and children? I’d love to hear about them as comments on this blog!
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