Kids have growing pains as they mature, but what if your child’s chronic pain is more than that? According to a study out of the Rush University Medical Center and published in Alternative and Complementary Therapies, acupuncture may be a safe and effective adjunctive integrative medicine treatment for chronic pain in pediatric patients.

The problem with kids, pain and treatment of it is the traumatic emotional, psychological effects it causes. Data about the safety and efficacy of therapeutic options for children is limited.

“Effective treatment of pain can be particularly difficult because it’s subjective; but with children, it is increasingly difficult because a child may not be able to communicate effectively depending on the age and accurate recognition of pain,” said one researcher. She continued to say, “While acupuncture has been shown to reduce pain in adults, there is very little data on whether it’s effective in children. This study looked at the effect of acupuncture in children directly, rather than examining data collected from adults. This focus is especially important, since children experience pain in different ways than adults.”

Some types of pain that pediatric patients suffer from include headaches, abdominal pain, back pain, musculoskeletal pain, scoliosis, leukemia, sports injuries and Crohn’s disease.

Following individually tailored acupuncture treatments, all patients reported significant and progressive declines across all levels of pain, with stronger pain reductions during early treatment.

Another researcher said, “Acupuncture provides an amazing alternative to chronic pain medication. This is especially true for patients who may have to cope with pain for most of their life, including those who have sickle cell anemia and aftereffects of cancer. In addition it helps with anxiety and depression.”

So, consider acupuncture if your child is suffering from chronic pain.

Razi Berry, Founder and Publisher of Naturopathic Doctor News & Review (ndnr.com) and NaturalPath (thenatpath.com), has spent the last decade as a natural medicine advocate and marketing whiz. She has galvanized and supported the naturopathic community, bringing a higher quality of healthcare to millions of North Americans through her publications. A self-proclaimed health-food junkie and mother of two; she loves all things nature, is obsessed with organic gardening, growing fruit trees (not easy in Phoenix), laughing until she snorts, and homeschooling. She is a little bit crunchy and yes, that is her real name.