Massage is safer and causes less pain for children, compared with other medical practices. [Photo by Zou Hong / China Daily]

"Some people take it for granted that TCM massage is only good for adults, but TCM massage has been used on both children and adults for thousands of years," says Cui Xia, director of TCM pediatrics at the No 3 Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine.

"Actually, it has even better effects on children than on adults, because children are more sensitive to the therapy." That is because children have very soft and delicate skin, and also have acupressure points that adults don't have, Cui says, adding that this is why TCM massage therapists treat child patients differently from adults.

A 61-year-old man surnamed Zhu finally persuaded his daughter and son-in-law to let him take his 19-month-old granddaughter to have a TCM massage recently.

The little girl suffers from frequent coughs and colds, and her growth has slowed because of low appetite. He says Western medicine only offered nutrients and trace elements, so he recalled TCM massage, which he had a lot as a child.

"When I was young, everyone knew that if a child has indigestion, low appetite or bad sleep, the parents should take him to a TCM massage therapist," Zhu says.

Zheng Jun, director of pediatrics at Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, says children have immature digestive, respiratory and nervous systems, and TCM teaches that an imbalance in those systems is often the cause of common childhood ailments, such as constipation, cough and dermatitis - and certain combinations of massage techniques and acupressure points will help restore harmony within the children, and thus restore health.

Cui Xia, the TCM pediatric specialist, observes that as new and renewed awareness among the public grows, more people are seeking the benefits of this massage.

Zhu Yu, a Beijing resident and mother, has become a fan of the therapy. Her 2-year-old daughter Du Bingyue suffered from severe indigestion and low fever, but whenever Zhu gave her medicine, the little girl would cry and vomit.