Insights & Discussion
Massage therapy proves more beneficial in improving ADHD symptoms in children and adolescents than traditional Ritalin treatment.
This study used a systematic review incorporating eight randomized controlled trials and three case series studies. Out of these trials, a meta-analysis of four was conducted.
The pooled analysis revealed massage therapy brought about a significant improvement in ADHD symptoms. Individual trials indicated massage was significantly different from waiting, showing great improvement specifically in conditions related to anxious-passive behaviour and antisocial behaviour.
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Acupuncture's effectiveness in treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder remains inconclusive due to the low quality of existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
2023 Complementary Therapies in Medicine The efficacy of acupuncture for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): An overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses Zhang L, Huang C, Chen X, Du S, Yang J, Hu B
Systematic Review ADHD
A comprehensive search of the literature up until September 2021 was carried out across seven electronic databases to gather systematic reviews and meta-analyses about the use of acupuncture for treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The quality of these articles was subsequently assessed using the AMSTAR-2 tool, while the GRADE system was used to evaluate the quality of the presented evidence.
A total of five systematic reviews and meta-analyses were incorporated in this study. The AMSTAR-2 tool outlined that three articles were of 'low' quality and two were of 'critically low' quality. The GRADE system was applied to ten different outcomes across the included meta-analyses. It found four outcomes to be of 'moderate' quality, four more to be of 'low' quality, and the final two outcomes were considered 'very low' quality. The majority of downgrading factors in the gathered reviews came from the risk of bias and inconsistency. Therefore, the efficacy of acupuncture in improving the various related scores and response rate remains questionable.
Acupuncture, either as an add-on or standalone treatment, improved conduct problems, learning issues, and hyperactivity symptoms in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
2023 Medicina Acupuncture for Treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Ang L, Kim JT, Kim K, Lee HW, Choi JY, Kim E, et al.
Meta-Analysis ADHD
In the research, nine databases were searched extensively, covering their inceptions to July 28, 2022. Two authors independently sorted relevant studies, and a rigorous quality assessment was performed on selected studies using a well-established risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials. Features of the incorporated studies were laid out in a table, and then a thorough meta-analysis was conducted to examine the impact of acupuncture on attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms.
The results derived from fourteen selected studies involving 1185 participants showcased acupuncture's efficacy in treating attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. When used alongside conventional medicine, acupuncture had a notably positive impact on reducing conduct problems, learning difficulties, and hyperactivity symptoms. Moreover, even acupuncture in isolation helped mitigate learning issues, hyperactivity and hyperactivity impulsivity. It further exhibited superior total treatment efficacy than conventional medicine alone. Throughout the trials, no major adverse events were recorded. However, it is significant to mention that the risk of bias in these included studies raised general concerns.
Parent-administered pediatric tuina is effective at reducing core symptoms of ADHD in preschool children and improves child appetite and sleep quality.
2022 Phytomedicine Parent-administered pediatric Tuina for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms in preschool children: A pilot randomized controlled trial embedded with a process evaluation Chen SC, Yu J, Wang HS, Wang DD, Sun Y, Cheng HL, et al.
Randomised Controlled Trial ADHD Appetite Children's Health
This research involved a two-arm, parallel, open-label, pilot Randomized Controlled Trial, where 64 participants were assigned to two separate groups. Parents in the first group attended an online course teaching them pediatric tuina for ADHD, which they would then apply to their children at home. The second group of parents went through online training about a progressive muscle relaxation exercise and engaged in interactive physical activities with their children at home. Both groups carried out their respective interventions every other day for two month, each session lasting at least 20 minutes. The project measured the rate of recruitment, consent, participant adherence, retention and any adverse events.
Upon investigation, both groups demonstrated improvements, with moderate effect size within each group. This was reflected in improvements in core hyperactivity and impulsivity symptoms. Parents also noticed positive changes in their children’s eating habits, sleep quality, and overall parent-child relationship. No serious issues were reported in relation to implementing the parent-administered pediatric tuina or from the interactive physical activity sessions.
Consumption of pumpkin seeds enhances the nutritional status and improves the attention deficit of deaf female children exhibiting ADHD symptoms.
2021 African Journal of Biological Sciences Improvement of attention deficit hyperactive disorder for deaf female children by intake pumpkin seeds Ataya H
Clinical Study ADHD Children's Health Iron
This study investigated 40 deaf female children, aged between 10 and 12 years, who exhibited symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These children were selected from El Amal school for the deaf and divided into two groups; control and experimental. Various data were gathered on personal and socio-economic factors, food habits, diet history, and clinical signs, along with performing the Attention Deficit Disorder Connected with Hyperactivity for Deaf Children test. The experimental group underwent a dietary intervention, consuming 50g of magnesium and iron-rich pumpkin seeds daily over three months.
The results indicated an improvement in both iron and magnesium levels within the experimental group following the dietary intervention. Notably, compared to the control group, the levels of magnesium and iron were significantly higher in the experimental group after introducing pumpkin seeds into their diet. Furthermore, on evaluating the ADHD symptoms via the Attention Deficit Disorder Connected with Hyperactivity for Deaf Children test, the experimental group showed a more substantial improvement after dietary intervention than the control group. Over time, the findings demonstrated the potential beneficial effects of consuming pumpkin seeds on the nutritional status and ADHD symptoms in the studied population.
Acupuncture treatment has shown to be more beneficial than standard pharmacotherapy for treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents.
2021 Complementary Medicine Research The Efficacy of Acupuncture Treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Chen YC, Wu LK, Lee MS, Kung YL
Meta-Analysis ADHD
The study employed a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials comparing the effects of acupuncture treatment with pharmacotherapy (specifically, methylphenidate hydrochloride) in patients diagnosed with ADHD. Ten studies, involving a total of 876 patients, were selected from 12 electronic databases that were searched from inception until February 3, 2020. Effectiveness of treatment and post-treatment hyperactivity scores formed the main outcomes, along with studying the occurrence of adverse events and post-treatment course.
In terms of the results, the meta-analysis found that acupuncture treatment demonstrated significantly higher effectiveness than pharmacotherapy and showed capabilities of reducing hyperactivity scores but to a lesser extent than pharmacotherapy. Additionally, there were no adverse events reported in the acupuncture group in two studies, and another study reported that acupuncture could even reduce adverse reactions from drugs. Lastly, three studies concluded that the positive effects of acupuncture treatment were sustained after the treatment was completed.
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