Young Patients with Chronic Illnesses Find Relief in Acupuncture

The lack of options for pain management in children has been reported as one of the most difficult aspects of providing care to pediatric patients. Research indicates that up to 70 percent of pediatric patients experience pain and those with chronic illnesses often do not have adequate relief or prevention of pain.

That's why clinical researchers at Rush University Medical Center are conducting a study to see how acupuncture therapy might help in reducing pain in children and increase their quality of life.  
 

"Treating children with acupuncture is a new frontier," said Dr. Paul Kent, a pediatric hematology and oncology expert at Rush Children's Hospital and co-investigator of the study. "We are looking to see if there is an effective, natural pain management therapy we can offer that does not have the serious side effects that can be caused by narcotics and other serious pain medications."

"Many children with chronic or acute health issues turn to complementary or integrative approaches after all other conventional treatment options are exhausted," said Angela Johnson, Chinese medicine practitioner and lead investigator of the study. "Parents should be aware that integrative therapies like acupuncture can be helpful from the onset of disease and can have a tremendously positive influence on a child’s quality of life."

More Information at Your Fingertips:
Read the complete news release.
Learn more about pediatrics at Rush.