Massage therapy is a form of complementary and alternative medicine that involves the manipulation of the soft tissues of the body. It is used to promote mental and physical health in infants under six months of typical development, as well as to treat acute diarrhea in children. However, it is important to note that juice is not recommended for babies under one year old at any other time. In China, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) doctors often use massage therapy to treat acute diarrhea in children.
Different massage techniques are applied to different types of diarrhea, such as cold wet type, spleen deficiency type and hot wet type. Clinical observation has shown that massage therapy combined with finger pressure can be effective in treating childhood diarrhea. In addition, massage therapy combined with pharmacological therapies, such as montmorillonite, has been found to have a higher clinical efficacy rate compared to drug therapy alone. Massage therapy can also be used to promote good digestion in infants and young children.
It can decrease gastric discomfort, calm muscles and nerves in the massage area, and provide comfort to organs that are connected to the stomach and gastrointestinal tract. However, it is important to note that massage should not be used for children with leukemia. Most babies tend to defecate less as they get older, while some continue to defecate every time they eat. In order to increase effectiveness, many doctors use acupressure (pressing on some acupuncture points) while performing individual massage treatment or acupuncture therapy.
Massage therapy has also been found to improve neurodevelopmental outcome at two years of age corrected for babies with very low birth weight.
