Little Lotus Pediatrics

Little Lotus is an integrative pediatric clinic that emphasizes the best of both traditional and modern medicine. Our practitioners take great care to understand your child’s underlying condition: identifying both strengths and weaknesses. We then apply this for both prevention and to help treat a wide variety of conditions.

We have successfully improved a wide variety of conditions. Some of these include:

Asthma and allergies

Bedwetting

Behavioral problems such as ADHD and poor concentration

Colds, flu, coughs

Ear infections

Eczema and rashes

Food sensitivities and nutritional concerns

Headaches

Pain, injuries, surgical recovery

Rheumatological/autoimmune disorders

Teething

Tummy aches, constipation, colic

Weak immune system

Vaccine support to help minimize risks and rapidly mitigate side effects

Little Lotus practitioners have many years of experience utilizing Chinese medicine in pediatric care. We founded the pediatric acupuncture program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and have published studies on the efficacy of using Chinese medicine to treat a variety of pediatric conditions. Having worked for many years in a hospital setting, we are very familiar with how to integrate care and incorporate cutting edge medical research from Western medicine with time-tested diagnostic and treatment tools from Chinese medicine. This enables our patients to receive truly holistic care.

We offer both comprehensive health optimization services and treatment of both acute and chronic health problems.

Our preventative services are focused on keeping your child well. To do this, we employ a variety of methods from both Eastern and Western medicine that help us identify issues before they cause potentially serious problems. Many common environmental factors can create unsafe levels of toxicity in our children, but identifying and mitigating these factors are not a part of standard pediatrics. For example, lead is the only heavy metal that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends for routine screening. However, a study out of Harvard University found that even low levels of cadmium exposure were associated with a 3 fold increase in learning disabilities. Cadmium exposure has also been associated with lower IQ levels and a host of neurological problems...and this is only one environmental toxin out of hundreds.

Depending on the child's age, genetics and individual exposures, we tailor our evaluation and testing recommendations accordingly. Treatments are also individualized.

Our treatments are customized to your child’s needs and comfort level. We have a wide range of effective modalities to choose from that address the body as a whole. Some of these modalities include:

Shonishin: A gentle, non-invasive technique that produces many of the beneficial effects of acupuncture without using needles. Shonishin is often used to boost the immune system and can help resolve certain common childhood illnesses quickly and effectively.

Tuina: A specialized form of Chinese pediatric massage used to promote healthy development of the motor, nervous and immune systems. Tuina is a very useful component in the treatment of a wide range of pediatric conditions.

Acupuncture: Application of thin, sterile, single-use needles to enhance circulation of blood and energy. Pediatric needles are retained for short periods of time and are generally painless. In fact, most children don't even know the needles were inserted. Depending on the age of the child and the child's condition, needles are either not retained (meaning inserted and immediately removed), or they may be retained for a given period of time (meaning the needles are left in for 15-30 minutes). Needles will typically be inserted to a depth of around 5 millimeters. Insertion is very shallow.

Herbal medicine: The application of herbal medicine for various pediatric conditions is vast. We use both tinctures and powdered herbs that have been tested to ensure compliance with strict US safety guidelines.

Nutrition: Proper nutrition is the cornerstone of health. We provide comprehensive guidance to parents with easy to follow recipes and tips on developing healthy menus for busy lifestyles, picky eaters and food restrictions.

Essential Oils: This is a part of herbal medicine which involves topical (rubbing on the skin) treatments The oils can absorb into the body and help treat a wide variety of diseases. This is very useful for children who are not compliant in taking oral medicine.

Moxibustion: This is the application of heat to various acupuncture points. Research has found that it can greatly improve healing response.

Your concern is well founded. A recent study found well-child pediatric appointments to be linked to more than 700,000 subsequent flu-like illnesses. It's not just "well" visits either. For example, even in pediatric offices with separate waiting rooms for well and sick children, if your child is sick s/he is then exposed to other actively sick children. That then exposes your child to even more germs, some of which could be more serious than what you went in with.

The most common reasons for cross infection are: healthcare workers not washing their hands or their equipment (which, believe it or not, still happens regularly in the 21st century), surface contamination (treatment tables, door handles, pens, etc.), and airborne contamination.

To address these and many other issues, we have developed comprehensive infection control procedures. While we can't list them all, some examples include:

Whether your child is sick or well, you and your child will never sit in a waiting room with another sick child.

Your child will never be put on a partially covered treatment table or other surface that has not been sanitized.

Air is cleaned continuously by very expensive medical grade air filters capable of removing particles 100x smaller than normal HEPA filters (including viruses).

Our staff always wears disposable gloves when touching your child and all equipment is wiped down before and after use.

Toys, surfaces and door handles are wiped down frequently.

If a sick child was in a treatment room, another child will not be put in that room until sufficient air and surface sanitizing has been performed.

We provide superbills to any of our patients that request them. What that means is that you pay for services at the time of the service and if your insurance covers any of the services, the insurance company will pay you back for whatever amount they cover. The reason we do not bill insurance directly is that it greatly increases expenses and then would require us to see many more patients per hour to cover those expenses. This then results in a reduced quality of care (as you probably have seen in many medical practices).