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Monday 25 June, 2001
Acupuncture
And Autism
Tongue acupuncture
can improve the lives of children with autism, according to
scientists from Hong Kong.
Speaking recently at the World Congress of
Neurology in London, the researchers claim that it can make
children calmer and more stable, making it easier for them to
learn and look after themselves. BBC Science reports.
Toothpick
and Tongue
Acupuncture dates from several millennia
back in Chinese history; tongue acupuncture by contrast is
just a couple of decades old but is becoming increasingly
popular in Hong Kong.
Based on traditional methods of
acupuncture, where needles are used to stimulate pressure
points on the body, therefore releasing blocked energy or Qi,
recipients of tongue acupuncture have described the sensation
as similar to being ¡¥pricked with a toothpick¡¦.
Researchers now see the tongue as an
attractive thing to stick their needles in because it's full
of nerves, and in recent years scientists have produced hints
that it might help people recover after a stroke.
However this is the first time that the
potential of tongue acupuncture and autism has been explored.
What
Is Autism?
Autism is a developmental disorder that
affects the way a person communicates and interacts with
other
people.
This means that in many cases, autistic
children have problems with social interaction, and problems
with verbal and non-verbal communication. This can also lead
to low IQ scores.
Nobody really knows what causes autism.
However, it is thought that genetic factors are likely to play
a crucial role.
Research has also linked the condition with
a variety of conditions affecting brain development which
occur before, during, or very soon after birth.
Acupuncture And Autism
According to the scientists at The
University Of Hong Kong, the new research aims to ¡¥improve
the overall functional dependence in ASD children by tongue
acupuncture.¡¦
Dr Virginia Wong, who led the
investigators, recently told the World Congress of Neurology
that the treatment helps autistic children lead a more normal
life.
She says children who are hyperactive or
aggressive have become calmer and emotionally stable after
acupuncture treatment.
The holistic acupuncture treatment was
carried out on a control group of 30 children with Autistic
Spectrum Disorder. According to the researchers, after a
period of treatment, teachers who were blind to the study,
found:
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¡¥Improvement in children in terms of behaviour,
communication skills and also higher intelligent
quotient, have more imagination ¡V draw better,
more coherence in their composition and writing up
of stories and become more initiative.¡¦
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Dr
Wong believes that tongue acupuncture treats the symptoms of
autism, rather than autism itself, but doctors at the Congress
said that if her results can be replicated, tongue acupuncture
could potentially become a standard treatment in years to
come.
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Autism And School Exclusion
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A report published by the National Autistic Society
(NAS) in 2000 claimed that children with autism
and Asperger Syndrome are 20 times more likely to
be excluded from school than their classmates.
The report states that one in five pupils with the
conditions are excluded at least once, compared
with an estimated 1.2% of the total pupil
population.
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Internet Sites
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Acupuncture
offers hope for brain disorders
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World
Congress In Neurology
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British
Acupuncture Council
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National
Autistic Society
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Acupuncture
Cures Dental Gagging
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Internet sites
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