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Effect of minimal acupuncture for infantile colic: a multicentre, three-armed, single-blind, randomised controlled
Kajsa Landgren1, Inger Hallström1
1Faculty of Medicine, Department of Health Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
Insights
Acupuncture significantly reduced crying time in infants with colic compared to standard care. Both acupuncture methods were safe and effective, offering a promising treatment for infant colic.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Complementary and Alternative Medicine
- Clinical Trials
Background:
- Infantile colic is a common condition with contradictory evidence regarding acupuncture treatment efficacy.
- Public child health centers (CHCs) provide care for infants experiencing colic.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate and compare the effectiveness of two acupuncture techniques against no acupuncture in infants diagnosed with colic.
- To assess acupuncture as an adjunct to standard care for infantile colic.
Main Methods:
- A multicenter, randomized controlled trial (ACU-COL) involving 147 infants with colic.
- Comparison of standardized minimal acupuncture (LI4), semi-standardized Traditional Chinese Medicine-inspired acupuncture, and no acupuncture (standard care).
- Blinded CHC nurses and parents; acupuncture administered by experienced nurses.
Main Results:
- Both acupuncture groups showed similar efficacy and were superior to standard care alone.
- Significant reductions in crying time and colicky crying observed with acupuncture.
- More infants receiving acupuncture no longer met colic criteria within two weeks; no serious adverse events reported.
Conclusions:
- Acupuncture demonstrates a safe and effective method for reducing crying in infants suffering from colic.
- The findings support acupuncture as a viable treatment option for infantile colic.
Background:
Evidence for treating infantile colic with acupuncture is contradictory.
Aim:
To evaluate and compare the effect of two types of acupuncture versus no acupuncture in infants with colic in public child health centres (CHCs).
Methods:
A multicentre, randomised controlled, single-blind, three-armed trial (ACU-COL) comparing two styles of acupuncture with no acupuncture, as an adjunct to standard care, was conducted. Among 426 infants whose parents sought help for colic and registered their child's fussing/crying in a diary, 157 fulfilled the criteria for colic and 147 started the intervention. All infants received usual care plus four extra visits to CHCs with advice/support (twice a week for 2 weeks), comprising gold standard care. The infants were randomly allocated to three groups: (A) standardised minimal acupuncture at LI4; (B) semi-standardised individual acupuncture inspired by Traditional Chinese Medicine; and (C) no acupuncture. The CHC nurses and parents were blinded. Acupuncture was given by nurses with extensive experience of acupuncture.
Results:
The effect of the two types of acupuncture was similar and both were superior to gold standard care alone. Relative to baseline, there was a greater relative reduction in time spent crying and colicky crying by the second intervention week (p=0.050) and follow-up period (p=0.031), respectively, in infants receiving either type of acupuncture. More infants receiving acupuncture cried <3 hours/day, and thereby no longer fulfilled criteria for colic, in the first (p=0.040) and second (p=0.006) intervention weeks. No serious adverse events were reported.
Conclusions:
Acupuncture appears to reduce crying in infants with colic safely.
Trial Registration Number:
NCT01761331; Results.
