TCM Paediatric Massage Therapy (小儿推拿), also known as infantile or child therapeutic massage, is one of the oldest specialties within Chinese medicine and dates from the early first millennium. Since that time, there has been continuous development in the diagnosis and treatment of children's diseases. It influences a child’s energy flow by using gentle massage to activate the various points instead of needles.
According to TCM, children are not just considered miniature adults but they are also believed to be immature both physically and functionally. Most common pediatric complaints are due to this immaturity. Chinese medicine states that because children's bodies are immature and therefore inherently weak, they are susceptible to diseases that affect the lungs such as colds, coughs, allergies and asthma and the spleen (or digestive complaints) such as colic, vomiting, diarrhea, indigestion, and stomach aches.
Although there are some similarities, points system of children is different from that of adults in large. By applying Massage Strokes on the different acupoints on children, it promotes general health, strengthen their immune system and aid in his development. It has proven to be a viable option for treating a wide variety of common childhood conditions like cough, constipation, digestive difficulties, fever, chronic abdominal pain, dermatitis and asthma and general health care.
Besides treating illnesses, the therapy has good effect of promoting the vitality of the body's immunity system, improving the functions of the body organs, increasing disease-resistance ability, all of which acts synergistically to effectively prevent and treat ailments. It provides good health care for children when they are well, and when they fall ill, the therapy helps to alleviate or cure the illness. The massage is known to enhance a child's brain development and encourage greater memory capacity and creativity.
The therapy is safe, gentle and is suitable for children from birth to approximately twelve years of age. However, the younger the child is, the more effective pediatric massage can be, because this is the time when the body is still developing. Since some paediatric massage techniques are simple, parents are encouraged to learn and use at home.
