Acupuncture May Benefit Stroke Victims, Autistic Children

Acupuncture May Benefit Stroke Victims, Autistic Children

HONG KONG--In two studies presented at the World Congress of Neurology in mid-June in London, both stroke victims and autistic children showed marked improvement after submitting to tongue acupuncture (TAC). In one study, 25 patients who had suffered a stroke and were not on aspirin or a rehabilitation program were given TAC 40 times (two times daily, five days a week for four consecutive weeks). Within the parameters used in the study, including the Modified Rankin Scale and National Institute of Health Stroke Scale, many patients improved in functional ability, as well as in their motor cortex; stroke reoccurred in six of the patients.

The other study was a double blind, randomized, controlled trial of 30 children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In the course of eight weeks and 40 TAC sessions, seven standardized outcome measures were used in comparing the TAC group to the control group. Researchers found that there was an overall improvement in intellectual quotient and communication abilities in the TAC group. The children's teachers, who were unaware of which children had been treated, noted that TAC children showed improved behavior, communication skills, imagination and initiative.

Both studies can be found at the World Congress of Neurology site (www.concorde-uk.com/wcn-2001) and were led by Virginia Wong, M.D., from the University of Hong Kong.