title: Laser acupuncture in children with headache: a double-blind, randomized, bicenter, placebo-controlled trial.
abstract: To investigate whether laser acupuncture is efficacious in children with headache and if active laser treatment is superior to placebo laser treatment in a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of low level laser acupuncture in 43 children (mean age (SD) 12.3 (+/-2.6) years) with headache (either migraine (22 patients) or tension type headache (21 patients)). Patients were randomized to receive a course of 4 treatments over 4 weeks with either active or placebo laser. The treatment was highly individualised based on criteria of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The primary outcome measure was a difference in numbers of headache days between baseline and the 4 months after randomization. Secondary outcome measures included a change in headache severity using a 10 cm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain and a change in monthly hours with headache. Measurements were taken during 4 weeks before randomization (baseline), at weeks 1-4, 5-8, 9-12 and 13-16 from baseline. The mean number of headaches per month decreased significantly by 6.4 days in the treated group (p<0.001) and by 1.0 days in the placebo group (p=0.22). Secondary outcome measures headache severity and monthly hours with headache decreased as well significantly at all time points compared to baseline (p<0.001) and were as well significantly lower than those of the placebo group at all time points (p<0.001). We conclude that laser acupuncture can provide a significant benefit for children with headache with active laser treatment being clearly more effective than placebo laser treatment.
authors.affiliation: University Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Saarland University, Kirrbergerstr., 66421 Homburg, Germany University Children's Hospital, Department of Neonatology and Pediatric Intensive Care Medicine, Saarland University, Homburg, Germany Caritas Hospital St. Theresia, Pain Clinic, Saarbruecken, Germany Gemeinschaftskrankenhaus Herdecke, Department of Pediatrics, Herdecke, Germany University Children's Hospital, Section of Neuropediatrics, Saarland University, Homburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gottschling
authors.forename: Sascha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: Inessa
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gribova
authors.forename: Ludwig
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Distler
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Berrang
authors.forename: Ludwig
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gortner
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Graf
authors.forename: Ghiath M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Shamdeen
mesh_terms: D026881:Acupuncture / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D020773:Headache Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000528:radiation effects; D015990:Placebo Effect; D010919:Placebos; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D010919:Placebos