Laser Acupuncture and Children
23 April 2008
Laser acupuncture can provide significant benefit in the treatment of children with headache. Researchers in Germany carried out a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of laser acupuncture in 43 children (mean age 12.3 years) with various types of headache. Patients received a course of four treatments over four weeks with either active or placebo laser. The acupuncture treatment was individualised based on TCM criteria. Follow up continued for another 12 weeks. The mean number of headaches experienced per month decreased significantly by 6.4 days in the treated group (vs a decrease of 1.0 days in the placebo group). Headache severity and monthly hours with headache were also found to decrease significantly at all time points compared to baseline, and were significantly lower than those of the placebo group at all time points.
(Laser acupuncture in children with headaches: A double-blind, randomized, bicenter, placebo-controlled trial. Pain. 2007 Nov 15 [Epub ahead of print]).