A Survey of the Current Status and Background of Acupuncture for Infants / 日本東洋医学雑誌

ABSTRACT

Acpuncture for infants consists mainly of skin stimulation, thus treatment is very different from that used for adults employing standard acupuncture techniques. Such traditional acupuncture treatment for infants is still popular in the Kansai area, and has been in use since the Edo Era (1600-1868).<br>In this report, the authors aualyze the social background, main complaints and accompanying symptoms of infants receiving acupuncture treatment.<br>Of the infants receiving treatment at the acupuncture clinic affiliated with this school, the majority (88.5%) lived within a 15km radius.<br>The conditions that the infants suffered from were night waking, screaming and other nervous symptoms. Relatives of the patients recommended acupuncture treatment, and in most cases it was the grandparents.<br>It was suggested that acupuncture treatment was regarded as a common and familiar treatment for maintaining health in infants in the Kansai area of Japan. Thus, it was thought that the popularity of acupuncture for infants in this region could be somewhat attributed to local custom.