Abstract
Headaches in children and adolescents remain a very common problem with migraine being
the most common headache disorder to present to medical attention. The approach to
the treatment of migraine in children has consisted of treatment with acute and preventive
medications, combined with lifestyle modification and behavioral interventions, such
as cognitive behavioral therapy. With increasing frequency, complementary and alternative
medicine (CAM) approaches, including acupuncture, are often recommended in the pediatric
population to address significant disability with limited evidence-based treatment
options. In this article, the authors conduct a review of acupuncture in pediatric
headache, including neurobiological mechanisms, adult headache studies, pediatric
headache studies, safety, and use of acupuncture in other conditions in children.
This article aims to summarize the currently available evidence with which to recommend
acupuncture in children for the adjunctive treatment of headache. Acupuncture appears
to be safe and effective for the treatment of migraine in children.
Keywords
headache - acupuncture - pediatric - complementary and alternative - children
