Pediatric Acupuncture: A Review of Clinical Research

Abstract

Practiced in China for more than 2000 years, acupuncture has recently gained increased attention in the United States as an alternative treatment approach for a variety of medical conditions. Despite its growing prevalence and anecdotal reports of success among pediatric populations, few empirically based studies have assessed the efficacy of acupuncture for children and adolescents. This article presents a review of the current literature, including a systematic appraisal of the methodological value of each study and a discussion of potential benefits and adverse effects of acupuncture. While acupuncture holds great promise as a treatment modality for diverse pediatric conditions, a significant amount of additional research is necessary to establish an empirical basis for the incorporation of acupuncture into standard care.

Cardioprotective effect of transcutaneous electric acupoint stimulation in the pediatric cardiac patients: a randomized controlled clinical trial

“…Meanwhile, the adverse effects of acupuncture are lower than that of other methods or any drugs in the same conditions (15). The efficacy of acupuncture has also been demonstrated in systematic reviews pertaining to pediatric enuresis, migraines, allergies, infant distress, constipation, neurologic disability, and many preoperative side effects, including pain, laryngospasm, nausea and vomiting (16,17). This study is the first demonstration of clinical myocardial protection using TEAS pretreatment in children.…”

The Feasibility and Effects of Acupuncture in an Adolescent Nordic Ski Population

“…The majority of these adult studies were conducted in a simulated laboratory setting [12,13,22]. In the pediatric literature, acupuncture has been reviewed as a complementary and alternative treatment for a host of chronic conditions and symptoms, including migraines, cancer‐related sequelae, and constipation, among many others [15,23,24]. To our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the use of acupuncture in the adolescent athlete population in their specific training environment.…”

Acupuncture in Pediatric Academic Health Centers: A Blueprint for Integration

“…In 2009, Gold et al reviewed acupuncture encompassing both pediatric in-hospital and outpatient diagnoses. 1 In 2015, all 12 of the U.S. children's hospitals on the U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll rankings had modalities of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) incorporated into the hospitals' clinical services. 2 Officials at pediatric hospitals estimate that at least a third of U.S. pain centers for children offer acupuncture alongside conventional treatments.…”