International and European expert groups have recommended acupuncture in children for: Pain management, chronic pain, acute pain, pain in chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalitis, haemophilia related pain, bedwetting
In the UK, the medical expert group, the ‘National Institute of Health and Care Excellence’ (NICE) [https://www.nice.org.uk/] recommends acupuncture in children 12 years and older for: tension headache and migraines & in children 16 years and older for: chronic pain, including tension headache, migraine, chronic headaches, temporo-mandibular disorder, facial pain, fibromyalgia, non-specific musculoskeletal pain of e.g. the back, neck, chronic abdominal pain, complex regional pain syndrome, chronic pelvic pain, bladder pain syndrome (interstitial cystitis), organ pain such as irritable bowel syndrome.
The Scottish Government recommends acupuncture for chronic pain in children [https://www.gov.scot/].
In Germany the medical expert group the ‘Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Wissenschaftlichen Medizinischen Fachgesellschaften e.V.’ (AWMF) [https://www.awmf.org/], recommends acupuncture for children with migraine.
The French cancer group Association Francophone des Soins Oncologiques de Support, [https://www.afsos.org] recommends acupuncture for post-surgery and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in children with cancer. The Dutch Nederlandse Vereniging voor Kindergeneeskunde (https://www.nvk.nl/) recommends acupuncture for migraine and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in children, the Swiss Headache Society recommends acupuncture for children with tension headache (www.Headache.ch) and the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology recommends acupuncture for allergic rhinitis in children (https://www.eaaci.org/)
In Europe some hospitals have recommendations for the use acupuncture in children, for example in the UK (https://www.alderhey.nhs.uk/; https://www.sheffieldchildrens.nhs.uk/; https://www.gosh.nhs.uk/), Germany (https://www.kinderkrankenhaus-landshut.de/), Switzerland (https://www.kssg.ch/; https://kinderklinik.insel.ch/), Italy (https://www.puntiraf.it/; https://www.ospedalebambinogesu.it/)
Among these hospitals, some focus on pain in children:
“Acupuncture is proven to be effective in a wide range of painful conditions and is commonly used to treat non-specific joint pain; musculoskeletal pain; including chronic low back and neck pain; migraine and tension-type headaches; facial pain; dental pain and abdominal pain. In addition to pain it is also helpful for stress related illnesses, nausea and insomnia, which can also be problematic in people with chronic pain.” (Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool, UK, https://www.alderhey.nhs.uk/)
Other hospitals focus on more internal problems:
“Restlessness, 3-month colic, digestive disorders, allergies, developmental disorders, sleep disorders.”(Kantonsspital St.Gallen Switzerland, https://www.kssg.ch/integrative-medizin/)
The Children’s hospital in Landshut covers a wider range of symptoms:
“Allergies, hay fever, asthma, eczema, neurodermatitis, three-month colic, sleep disorders, susceptibility to infections, especially recurrent diseases of the upper respiratory tract, exam anxiety, digestive problems, bedwetting, concentration disorders, behavioural problems, obesity, pain of any kind, especially chronic headaches, migraines, abdominal pain.” (Kinder Krankenhaus St. Marien, Landshut, Germany, https://www.kinderkrankenhaus-landshut.de/medizinische-angebote/abteilung-fuer-integrative-medizin/akupunktur-tcm/)
If your child has a symptom not mentioned above please follow the links below to find a Toyohari practitioner near you to see if and how that practitioner may be able to help your child.