Acupuncture for Pediatric Conditions: A Narrative Review

Abstract Background: The use of acupuncture for common pediatric conditions continues to grow. Three previous overviews have summarized the research literature. Objective: The aim of this article is to provide an updated narrative review of the literature on the use of acupuncture within the pediatric population. Methods: A systematic search was performed to identify clinical trials and reviews published through July 2015. Trials were excluded if they were not: (1) acupuncture-specific; (2) limited to pediatric patients; (3) published in English. The literature was assessed and synthesized into a narrative review and commentary. Results: Seventy-one publications were identified (59 clinical trials and 12 reviews) that represented 20 conditions. Since the prior overviews, 36 new publications (33 clinical trials) were identified and represented nine countries; the top three were China, Norway, and the United States. The top five areas of research at that timepoint were autism spectrum disorder, cerebral pal...