The advantages and disadvantages of pediatric massage

Pediatric massage is recognized by more and more parents and friends. Facts have proved that it does have many benefits, such as enhancing skin resistance, improving infant immunity, increasing appetite, promoting digestion, etc. However, there are pros and cons. Pediatric massage also has certain disadvantages. Common ones include blind massage treatment that aggravates the disease, and improper massage strength, time, and frequency. Therefore, if mothers want to massage their babies at home, they must first receive professional training.

1. Benefits of Pediatric Massage

1. Enhance skin resistance

The skin is the human tissue that directly receives massage treatment. The proportion of infants' skin to the whole body is larger than that of adults. In addition, infants have abundant blood vessels, and the vascular network is close to the epidermis, so they are sensitive to external stimuli. Massage can enhance the secretion of sebaceous glands and sweat glands, clear out dead epithelial cells, and change skin metabolism. Massage, kneading, rubbing, and patting can easily dilate skin capillaries, increase skin temperature, and enhance the skin's defense function.

2. Improve the immunity of infants and young children

The internal organs of infants and young children are delicate and the functions of their organs are not fully developed. Therefore, the baby's resistance and defense against various diseases are weak and he is prone to various diseases. Chinese medicine believes that massage acts on a certain part of the body surface, dredging the meridians and collaterals, promoting qi and blood circulation, moistening the tendons and bones, and lubricating the joints through the body's meridians, qi and blood. It now affects the internal organs and all parts of the body, so it also has the effect of comprehensively adjusting the balance of yin and yang. Modern medicine has confirmed that massage can enhance children's immunity and resistance, strengthen their bodies, reduce illness, and help children grow up healthily.

3. Increase appetite and promote digestion

By caressing and massaging infants and young children, the body can be stimulated to produce more correct hormones, which can promote the secretion of insulin and glucagon, and increase the amount of food intake by infants and young children; promote gastric acid secretion, strengthen gastric antral contraction and digestive tract function, and promote food digestion and excretion. Experiments have shown that massaging the spleen and stomach points in the north for 1-2 minutes usually causes increased gastric motility, while massaging the Zusanli point usually causes weakened gastric motility. It is worth mentioning that massaging the Zusanli point has a bidirectional regulatory effect of both excitement and inhibition on the gastric system. When gastric motility is enhanced, massaging the Zusanli point tends to weaken gastric motility, and when gastric motility is weakened, it is enhanced after massage.

2. Disadvantages of pediatric massage

1. Blind massage treatment aggravates the disease

Many parents blindly use massage treatment without clarifying the cause of their children's illness. The key to pediatric massage lies in syndrome differentiation and treatment, which requires clarifying the disease the child suffers from. For example, colds can be divided into wind-heat colds and wind-cold colds. If the symptoms cannot be distinguished, blindly giving the child massage can cause adverse reactions and make the condition worse.

2. It is easy to have improper massage strength, time and frequency

When parents give their children massage at home, they should also master the relevant knowledge and use appropriate number of operations, time and stimulation intensity. The duration of massage should be determined according to the child's age, severity of illness, physical strength and characteristics of the technique. One massage session lasts about 15 to 20 minutes. Massage is usually performed once a day. For acute diseases such as high fever and acute diarrhea, massage can be performed twice a day. For chronic diseases, massage can be performed every other day.