title: Active Somatic and Psychic Ear Acupuncture Points in Newborn Infants with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) occurs within the first days after birth in newborns of mothers with a history of drug abuse. It may also occur in newborns whose mothers are undergoing substitution therapy.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the presence of active ear acupuncture points in newborn infants with NAS.
  
  
  METHODS
  Among newborn infants with NAS admitted to the Division of Neonatology at the University Hospital Graz between March 2009 and November 2014, an acupuncture-point detector (PS3 Silberbauer, Vienna, Austria) was used to identify active ear acupuncture points. An integrated optical and acoustical signal detects the ear points, which were then assigned to the ear map. A total of 31 newborn infants were assessed; 1 infant was excluded, however, because the mother had already weaned herself off opiates before admission.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The excluded infant did not develop signs of NAS, had a low Finnegan score (3 points), and did not present any detectable active psychic ear acupuncture points. In all included newborn infants with NAS, active ear acupuncture points were identified: The psychovegetative rim was the most common active somatic area in each infant, followed by a few somatic and psychic ear acupuncture points. In all infants with symptoms of NAS, active psychic ear points were identified, of which the most frequently found points were the Frustration point and the R point.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The activity of psychic ear acupuncture points may be specific for neonates with NAS.
authors.affiliation: 1 Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical University of Graz , Graz, Austria .
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kurath-Koller
authors.affiliation: 1 Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical University of Graz , Graz, Austria .
authors.forename: Jasmin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pansy
authors.affiliation: 1 Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical University of Graz , Graz, Austria .
authors.forename: Lukas P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Mileder
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta , Edmonton, Alberta, Canada .|3 Neonatal Research Unit, Royal Alexandra Hospital , Edmonton, Alberta, Canada .|4 Alberta Health Services , Edmonton, Alberta, Canada .
authors.forename: Georg M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Schmölzer
authors.affiliation: 1 Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical University of Graz , Graz, Austria .|5 Research Group for Pediatric Traditional Chinese Medicine, TCM Research Center Graz, Medical University of Graz , Graz, Austria .
authors.forename: Berndt
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Urlesberger
authors.affiliation: 1 Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical University of Graz , Graz, Austria .|5 Research Group for Pediatric Traditional Chinese Medicine, TCM Research Center Graz, Medical University of Graz , Graz, Austria .
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Raith
mesh_terms: D015669:Acupuncture Points; D020831:Acupuncture, Ear; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009357:Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome / Q000628:therapy*
keywords: addiction; ear acupuncture; neonatal abstinence syndrome; newborn infant