Acupuncture for babies? The age-old treatment can help children of all ages. Rick Lafond is one father who says acupuncture is helping his infant.
"Acupuncture has been around for 5,000 years. It can't be all bad," says Lafond.
Twice a week, two-month old Ricky goes to a children's hospital for acupuncture. Ricky's dad sought out the program.
"Acupuncture is something I had done as a young man and it helped me. Ricky's problem is that he needs a nerve regeneration and that's what acupuncture is all about," says Lafond.
The treatments started when Ricky was about 6 weeks old. His dad thinks it, along with physical therapy, is helping.
"Not in the lower arm which is the elbow and the fingers but the shoulder has gained some strength which is a good thing," says Lafond.
The clinic treats newborns up to 21-year-olds for all kinds of conditions and for pain management.
"He's okay with the little pokes. Aren't ya kiddo?" says Lafond.
But how hard is it to get kids to sit still for needles, even if they are flexible and about the same thickness as a strand of hair?
"They are very apprehensive at first then they see the needles, they get the first one and they go oh my god, is that it? And they are very happy," says Monika Kobylecka, a licensed acupuncturist.
"Often within a treatment, we'll see a kid come in with a 7 out of 10 pain and it will reduce down to a zero or a one our of 10 pain within the session," says Dr. Jeffrey Gold, Pediatric Pain Management.
Dr. Jeffrey Gold says the treatments work quickly for many kids.
Ricky's parents are happy to have the option of blending western and eastern medicine all within one building.
"I think being open minded enough to provide that service for people like us that are like anything we can do to help our kid, I think that's a good thing. So the experience has been great for me and I think that he's doing okay with it as well," says Lafond.
(Information courtesy NBC News)
