Helping Kids with Coughs: How Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture can support
Autumn is here - are you worried about your child getting a cough? Coughs are one of the most common reasons parents bring their children to the doctor. Coughs are a common feature of childhood but hopefully they are a rare event and can be relatively quickly resolved. However, in some cases it can be an event for the whole family to dread, with exhausting nights of endless coughing, or the precipitation of other Lung conditions such as wheezing and breathlessness or even emergency trips to the hospital. For some children it can mean many rounds of antibiotics which lead to more deficiency and susceptibility to further coughs. Some children might go down with a cough in the autumn which lingers through the entire winter.
While cough is often the body’s natural way of clearing the airways, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) takes a deeper look at why the cough is happening and how to gently support the child’s recovery.
A Different Way of Looking at Coughs
In Chinese medicine, a cough isn’t just a cough, it’s a sign that something in the body is out of balance. The Lungs play the starring role, but digestion and overall strength (what TCM calls “Qi”) also influence whether a child bounces back quickly or struggles with lingering symptoms.
Here are some of the common “patterns” TCM practitioners look for:
Wind-Cold Cough: Think of the classic cold — runny nose, clear or white phlegm, maybe a chill. The cough is often gentle but persistent.
Wind-Heat Cough: A sharper, hotter cough with yellow or sticky mucus, sometimes with fever or sore throat. Often sounds “hacking or “croup like”
Phlegm-Damp Cough: A “wet” sounding cough that just doesn’t go away, often paired with digestive upset or a heavy, tired feeling.
Yin Deficiency Cough: A dry, tickly cough, often worse at night, sometimes seen after repeated colds or a long illness.
This pattern-based approach means each child gets treatment tailored to their specific needs, rather than a one-size-fits-all remedy.
What Acupuncture for Kids Looks Like
If the idea of acupuncture for your child makes you nervous, you’re not alone but rest assured, poediatric acupuncture is gentle and very different from what you might imagine. In the clinic we may use ultra-fine needles for just a few seconds, or if you child isn’t comfortable with this we have lots of other non-needle methods like gentle massage, acupressure, or special tools (a style called shonishin), moxa and gentle lazer. Most children find it relaxing and even fun coming for a treatment. Our treatments can help chronic and acute coughs in children, clearing the cough and strengthening the child so they don’t succumb to so many coughs over the winter period.
Some common points we might include:
LU7 (Lieque) – helps the lungs “let go” of cough.
ST36 (Zusanli) – strengthens digestion and immunity.
BL13 (Feishu) – a go-to spot for all things lungs.
Treatments don’t just aim to quiet the cough in the moment, they also help build your child’s resilience so colds don’t linger or come back so easily.
Food as Medicine
Food can be medicine, too. In Chinese medicine we always look at diet and give doable advise on improvements you can make with your child. Simple steps like offering warm soups and cooked foods, and cutting back on cold, raw, or sugary treats can make a big difference when it comes to preventing coughs. These foods are thought to create more “phlegm” in TCM, making recovery slower. We can discuss this in more detail when you bring your child in for treatment.
If you would like to book an appointment for your child or book a FREE discovery call with one of us please head over to our Booking Page