Laser acupuncture in children with headache: A double-blind, randomized, bicenter, placebo-controlled trial

Gottschling, Sven; Meyer, Sascha; Gribova, Inessa; Distler, Ludwig; Berrang, Jens; Gortner, Ludwig; Graf, Norbert; Shamdeen, Mohammed Ghiath

doi:10.1016/j.pain.2007.10.004

Cited by 109 publications

(80 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Gottschling et al 43 investigated the efficacy of laser acupuncture in children with headache and documented significant decreases in headache frequency, monthly cumulative headache hours, and headache pain intensity. Other research has demonstrated that laser acupuncture is beneficial for addressing vomiting in children.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Acupuncture at LI 4 is well established as effective against pain in children, 47 and shorter periods of crying due to better relaxation are reported in newborns with colic receiving acupuncture at LI 4. 43,48 Wen and Cheung 7 originally discovered the effect of acupuncture using auricular and body acupuncture points 10 in adults, and the best results of acupuncture treatment of opiate addiction are documented in randomized controlled clinical trials when acupuncture is combined with an opioid agonist that significantly decreases the dosage of methadone needed to allay withdrawal symptoms. 10,11 This combination also alleviated side effects of opioid agonist.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Laser Acupuncture for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial

et al. 2015

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BACKGROUND: Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is usually treated with opiate derivatives and supported with nonpharmacological treatment.METHODS: This prospective, randomized, controlled, blinded, single-center study was carried out between March 2009 and November 2014. Newborn infants diagnosed with NAS after maternal opioid substitution therapy were eligible for inclusion. Infants were randomly allocated to the acupuncture group (combining laser acupuncture and pharmacological therapy of morphine and phenobarbital) or control group (pharmacological therapy alone). Laser acupuncture was performed with a LABpen MED 10 (675 nm/10 mW) at 5 ear and 4 body acupuncture points, bilaterally, and sessions were repeated every day. The primary outcome measure was duration of oral morphine therapy for NAS. Secondary outcomes included highest single Finnegan score, time to highest single Finnegan score, maximum amount of oral morphine solution (in milliliters per kilogram and milligrams per kilogram), time to maximum amount of oral morphine solution, and length of hospital stay.RESULTS: Twenty-eight newborns (14 in each group) were eligible for analysis. Duration of oral morphine therapy was significantly reduced in the acupuncture group compared with the control group (28 vs 39 days, respectively, P = .019). In addition, we observed a significantly reduced length of hospital stay in the acupuncture group compared with the control group (35 days [interquartile range 25 to 47] vs 50 days [36 to 66], P = .048).CONCLUSIONS: Adjunctive laser acupuncture significantly reduced the duration of morphine therapy in newborns with NAS. WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT:The impact of neonatal abstinence syndrome is of concern because the number of newborns showing symptoms of withdrawal after intrauterine drug exposure is increasing worldwide. Newborns developing neonatal abstinence syndrome require prolonged medical treatment and longer hospital admission after birth. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS:This first randomized controlled trial presents data on newborns with neonatal abstinence syndrome treated with laser acupuncture. The findings suggest that adjuvant laser acupuncture has the potential to reduce duration of morphine therapy and length of hospital stay. Dr Raith conceptualized and designed the study, provided oversight for the research procedures and data acquisition, contributed to the interpretation of the data, wrote the first draft of the article, and revised the final manuscript; Dr Schmölzer made substantial contributions to the conceptualization of the study and performed data acquisition and interpretation of data; Drs Schmölzer, Resch, Reiterer, and Avian made substantial contributions to the design of the study; Drs Raith, Resch, Reiterer, Avian, Köstenberger, and Urlesberger reviewed the manuscript and made revisions; Drs Resch and Reiterer made substantial contributions to the randomization procedures and maintained and ensured the masking of personnel; Dr Avian performed statistical analysis and interpretation of dat...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Laser Acupuncture for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial

et al. 2015

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“…These approaches included shallow needling, 10 use of inactivated lasers, 11 transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, 4 placebo needles, 9 12 13 use of adjuvant 6 and random needling of points not related to acupuncture meridians 14 (table 1). We decided to follow other authors' suggestions 6 25 to avoid techniques, such as placebo needling, that deviate substantially from usual acupuncture practice.…”

Section: Sham Acupuncture Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2 7 8 Several acupuncture trials have employed varied control arms. [9][10][11][12][13] Most used forms of sham acupuncture as the control treatment. Sham acupuncture usually involves needle placement.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Validation of a Sham Acupuncture Procedure in a Randomised, Controlled Clinical Trial of Chronic Pelvic Pain Treatment

Lee¹,

Liong²,

Yuen³

et al. 2011

Acupunct Med

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Background Acupuncture is an attractive treatment option for chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) that has proved refractory to conventional medical treatments. Unfortunately, it is diffi cult to determine the benefi t of acupuncture because few studies have employed controls or had physiological outcome measures. Objective To determine the feasibility of a sham, or minimally invasive, acupuncture as a control for studies evaluating the effi cacy of acupuncture treatment for chronic pelvic pain. Methods Participants were recruited from a double-blind randomised trial comparing acupuncture with a sham procedure for patients with CP/CPPS. Acupuncture or sham procedures were performed over a 10-week period. Sham acupuncture involved placement of short needles at sites 0.5 cm away from true acupuncture points (CV1, CV4, SP6 and SP9). Participants were asked to determine their procedure allocation at the end of treatment. A total of 35 participants also agreed to have blood analyses for cortisol, β-endorphin and leucine-enkephalin. Results Thirty-fi ve (78%) of the 45 participants randomised to the sham treatment thought they had received acupuncture compared with 27 (61%) of the 44 participants randomised to acupuncture (p=0.11). Biochemical data showed no differences between the groups immediately after treatment. Thirty-two (73%) of 44 acupuncture participants met the predefi ned clinical response criterion compared with 21 (47%) of 45 sham acupuncture participants (p=0.017, relative risk 1.81, 95% CI 1.3 to 3.1). At the end of the study, β-endorphin and leucine-enkephalin levels were both higher in the acupuncture group (p<0.01). Conclusions Minimally penetrating acupuncture was found to be a valid sham control and may prove useful for evaluating the effi cacy of acupuncture for other conditions. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00260637)

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“…Gottschling et al [45] reported an RCT in which LA was used to treat headache in children and showed a decrease in the VAS score and monthly hours with headache. Interestingly, the treatment in this study consisted of only four treatment episodes, at a frequency of once a week, yet the improvement of symptoms was excellent.…”

Section: Headachementioning

confidence: 99%

Managing Pain with Laser Acupuncture

Wu¹,

Kuo²,

Hung³

et al. 2016

Pain Management

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According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, Qi flows through the body along specific paths known as meridians. Any disturbance in Qi evokes a Ying−Yang imbalance in the body, and consequently leads to disease. Pain results from blood stasis and Qi stagnation. Laser acupuncture (LA), first introduced clinically in the 1970s, combines the advantages of traditional acupuncture and modern laser medicine and has been applied for the treatment of various diseases. Here, we investigated studies on the use of LA for pain management according to current evidence. Articles including English keywords related to the use of LA for pain, published between January 2006 and August 2015 were sourced from PubMed, Medline, and Cochrane Library databases. On the basis of these papers, we explored the modern applications, mechanisms, and analgesic effects of LA. LA integrates the positive effects of acupuncture and low-level laser therapy, and is therefore effective in activating blood and in moving Qi. LA relieves pain through both anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. No adverse effects or complications resulting from LA were reported in the literature. In the hands of an experienced physician, LA can be a useful and safe method for pain management.

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Laser acupuncture in children with headache: A double-blind, randomized, bicenter, placebo-controlled trial

Cited by 109 publications

References 41 publications

Laser Acupuncture for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Laser Acupuncture for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Validation of a Sham Acupuncture Procedure in a Randomised, Controlled Clinical Trial of Chronic Pelvic Pain Treatment

Managing Pain with Laser Acupuncture

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