Complimentary Therapies for Young People
There is a very common misconception that Complimentary Therapies are only suitable for adults because young, growing bodies are too delicate and sensitive for such things. This could not be further from the truth.
There is a very common misconception that Complimentary Therapies are only suitable for adults because young, growing bodies are too delicate and sensitive for such things. This could not be further from the truth.
Complimentary Therapies are much more gentle, far less
invasive and are far more natural and hence less toxic than the majority of
mainstream medicines can be, and can help with a wide range of complaints, from
age 0 to 100!
Complimentary Therapists treat every patient holistically,
looking at the whole person, not just the specific complaint. Great importance
is given to the age of the patient as there will be different nutritional
requirements and treatment indicated for children and adolescents in comparison
to adults; for example, where exercises to help strengthen an area weakened
after injury are prescribed, a child or teenager must do only what has been instructed with accuracy as bones in the younger
body are still growing and the muscles have to keep pace with the bone growth. Whereas
an adult might be encouraged to do the same exercises for as long they can
manage, increasing the repetitions throughout the week as they become easier,
as the focus is purely on gaining strength – allowance for growth is not
needed.
Soft tissue injuries are extremely common in children and
adolescents, with healing often made difficult by growth spurts, coupled with
the patient’s natural desire to get back to normal activity before their injury
is fully recovered. Growth spurts themselves can cause pain and dysfunction in
joints, particularly the feet, where poor foot function is often seen, created
by ill-fitting shoes, or even the occurrence of a painful verruca. Hormone,
vitamin and mineral imbalances are also frequently seen in this age group and
can cause a wide variety of symptoms which are often treated with medication
when, far less invasively, a change in the diet at this early point in life may
have a much better long term outcome. Osteopathy, Nutritional Advice,
Acupuncture, Chiropody and even Massage can all help, individually or in any
combination, to lessen the impact of these issues and improve general health
and wellbeing.
