RECENT RESEARCH and October 2023. Trials and reviews were excluded if they were not:( 1) acupuncture specific,( 2) data limited to pediatric patients, and( 3) published in English. The literature was assessed and synthesized into a scoping review and commentary.
Results: Seventy-one publications were identified( 42 clinical trials and 29 reviews) that represented 17 conditions and 10 countries; the top 2 were China and the United States. The top five areas of new research( based on numbers of clinical trials) are pain, cerebral palsy( CP), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and nausea and vomiting.
Conclusions: Clinical trials in pediatric acupuncture represent a small but important subset of acupuncture literature. Data are positive for postoperative nausea and vomiting and promising for CP, nocturnal enuresis, perioperative pain, procedural pain, and tic disorders. Several factors preclude additional firm conclusions from being drawn, including a limited number of trials, small sample size( n < 100) of the majority of randomized controlled trials( 78.6 %), and heterogeneity of treatment approaches. Continued research on the use of acupuncture for pediatric conditions is warranted, particularly in conditions demonstrating recent promising evidence.
Mohammadi L, Tagharrobi Z, Sharifi K, Sooki Z, Zare M, Zare Joshaghani F. The Effect of auriculotherapy on sleep quality in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a randomized clinical trial. BMC Pediatr. 2025 Jan 20; 25( 1): 48. doi: 10.1186 / s12887-024-05371-0. PMID: 39833716; PMCID: PMC11744890.
Introduction: Considering the importance of sleep disorders in children with attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder( ADHD) and effective therapeutic strategies, the present study aimed to investigate the effects of auriculotherapy on sleep quality in children with ADHD.
Materials and methods: This clinical trial was conducted in children with ADHD in Kashan, Iran, 2021-2022. Fifty-two eligible samples were selected using convenience sampling and randomly assigned to intervention and sham groups. The intervention group used Vacaria seeds to apply ear acupressure to Shenmen, Sympathetic, Subcortex, Heart, and Endocrine points for four weeks, while the sham group received adhesives without seeds and pressure. Sleep quality was assessed using children ' s sleep habits questionnaire at the beginning( T0), at the end of the intervention( T1), and one month later( T2). Data from 45 children( 23 and 22 children in the intervention and sham groups, respectively) were analyzed using the per-protocol and intention-to-treat designs using repeated measures analysis of variance.
Results: The background variables did not significantly differ between two groups. The between-group analysis revealed a significant interaction effect of time and intervention on sleep quality( Effect Size = 0.545, p < 0.0001). The sleep quality score in the intervention group was significantly greater than in the sham group at T1 and T2( p < 0.0001). The withingroup analysis of the intervention group revealed a significant difference in sleep quality scores at three time points( Effect Size = 0.672, p < 0.05). In the sham group, sleep quality score increased significantly over time( Effect Size = 0.511, p < 0.05).
Conclusions: The findings suggest that auriculotherapy may be a beneficial complementary treatment for improving sleep quality in children with ADHD.
Complementary medicine
Szychta LF, Sombra SEL, Lima GA, Ventura MWS, Oliveira BSB, Lima FET. Complementary therapies for the management of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children: a scoping review. Rev Lat Am Enfermagem. 2025 Nov 3; 33: e4701. doi: 10.1590 / 1518- 8345.7915.4701. PMID: 41191698; PMCID: PMC12587758.
INTRODUCING
Pepti-BIOTIC™
A clinically-studied postbiotic developed to help reduce the severity and frequency of heartburn.
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A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial 1 demonstrated:
reduction in heartburn frequency in the week following a threeweek treatment phase.
1. Fatani et al. BMC Res Notes. 2020; 13( 1): 364. Always read the label. Follow the directions for use.
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