2:54 AM
McGhori
Canadian researchers have established that treating children with the age-old practice of acupuncture is safe, and poses little risk if performed by a qualified practitioner.
After reviewing studies spanning more than 60 years, Canadian researchers have concluded that treating children with acupuncture is safe when administered by trained practitioners. The details of the review were recently published in the journal .
Although the evidence did show that some hospitalizations occurred due to serious infections and other effects suffered from unsuccessful procedures, senior study author Dr. Sunita Vohra, a professor in the department of pediatrics at Edmonton Canada’s University of Alberta, noted that little risks exist when a qualified practitioner provides acupuncture treatment.
She pointed out, “When you’re dealing with children, you really would like to know about safety before you go ahead and try a new therapy.” She also added that this is especially true if you are not sure about a treatment’s effectiveness.
Acupuncture is a type of alternative medicine used in the treatment of such ailments as joint pain, headaches, migraines, constipation, and nausea due to chemotherapy. The treatment involves the insertion and manipulation of thin, solid needles at various points in the body.
Until now, little evidence has existed regarding long-term safety or effectiveness of the treatment’s use in children. Based on the review of more than half a decade of evidence gathered from 37 studies, Vohra concluded that “in trained hands, acupuncture is safe for children.”
The studies in the review included both randomized trials that looked at the side effects of acupuncture in comparison to those of other treatments, as well as isolated incidents of illness and injury due to treatment with acupuncture.
Findings showed that among the 1,422 children and teens included in the analysis who received treatment with acupuncture, mild side effects, such as pain, bruising, or numbness, were experienced by 253 of them, while one suffered moderate side effects.
Another 25 experienced more serious side effects, including 12 thumb deformities among patients at one particular Chinese center during the 1980s, a 16-year-old who suffered nerve damage due to more than 70 needles having been left in his body, and a French male diagnosed with HIV at age 17 after being treated with acupuncture for tendonitis. Other serious side effects included bleeding, infections, and heart and lung problems.
While some of these incidents seem particularly gruesome, Vohra told Reuters Health that most are “pretty unusual circumstances,” and that “those sorts of things don’t really seem to happen now under modern-day circumstances.” She pointed out that while states differ in their regulation of acupuncturists, certain national and state organizations keep lists of trained and certified practitioners.
Dr. Adeline Ge, senior Chinese medicine consultant with the U.S. National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, agreed that “If practitioners had good training before, this kind of thing should completely be avoided.” However, she noted that acupuncture is not recommended for children under the age of two.
Ge offered advice for parents looking to get acupuncture treatment for their children. When seeking treatment for a child, asking for a recommendation from the family pediatrician is a good place to start.
Once a recommendation is made, it is important for parents to consult with the acupuncturist to discuss the medical condition of their child and the proposed treatment.
In addition, parents should accompany their children to observe treatment, and to be sure that clean needles are used, and that their child’s skin is well cleansed. Beware of practitioners who offer bargain prices. First session costs normally start at about $100.
The use of acupuncture dates back thousands of years. Traditional Chinese theory suggests needle placement helps balance the body’s energy flow, known as “qi.” It is estimated that 150,000 American children receive treatment with acupuncture each year.
Posted in: HEALTH
