Here’s an interesting piece of research.A group of researchers at an inner-city hospital in Boston (Massachusetts) have explored how acupressure (acupuncture without needles) can benefit the health of babies born to women suffering from drug addiction. Such babies experience ‘Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome’ – basically drug withdrawal – involving symptoms such as high-pitched prolonged crying, inability to be soothed, poor feeding habits, pain and gastrointestinal disturbance. The researchers used a ‘Teishin’ – a small spring-loaded probe used by Japanese acupuncturists – to stimulate seven acupuncture points chosen to help with the withdrawal process (for the benefit of other acupuncturists the points were Baihui DU-20, Yintang, Hegu L.I.-4, Neiguan P-6, Zusanli ST-36, Sanyinjiao SP-6 and Yongquan KID-1). There were three significant outcomes: the babies tended to fall deeply asleep during or after treatment, with deep, slow and peaceful breathing. Restless and agitated babies became relaxed, and babies with digestion problems started to feed better in the days after treatment. I find this study interesting, not because it is a wonder of rigorous large-scale research – it isn’t. However, the fact that non-specific placebo effects are unlikely to have played a significant part (the babies had little idea or expectation about what was happening to them), and the non-invasive, gentle nature of the treatment given (I tend to use acupuncture on babies), provides food for thought. Although the study was reasonably small and has its share of limitations as evidence, the response of these babies tallies with my own clinical experience of treating babies and children. I would therefore urge parents with babies or children with health problems to consider acupressure/acupuncture as a potential treatment (from a properly trained and experienced practitioner, obviously). If you catch health problems early it can change the course of a person’s health through their whole life … [Read the research here: Non-Insertive Acupuncture and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: A Case Series from an Inner City Safety Net Hospital. Glob Adv Health Med. 2012 Sep;1(4):48-52]
