Children

David Brulé et al. (2024) · Journal of integrative and complementary medicine

This randomized trial of 146 treated children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) explored whether homeopathy helps manage the condition, and which part of the treatment might be responsible. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition marked by inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity, and roughly 30% of diagnosed children do not respond to standard medication or behavioral treatment. Homeopathy uses highly diluted natural substances prescribed one patient at a time, and in practice it combines a long consultation with a chosen remedy. Earlier open-label results could not tell those two components apart, so this study separated them. Children aged 6 to 16 in Toronto, Canada were randomly assigned to one of three groups. One group (47 children) received homeopathic consultations plus an individualized remedy, a second (48 children) received the same consultations plus a look-alike placebo granule, and a third (51 children) continued usual care only. Consultations lasted up to two hours at intake and recurred about monthly for 28 weeks. Parents rated symptoms with the Conners 3 Global Index-Parent T-score, where lower scores mean fewer symptoms. Symptom scores fell by about 6.2 points in the remedy group and 6.4 points in the placebo group, compared with 2.2 points in usual care (complete-case analysis, 126 children). After adjustment, the remedy-plus-consultation group differed from usual care (p=0.037), while the placebo-plus-consultation group fell just short of the corrected significance threshold (p=0.026 against a cutoff of 0.025). The two consultation groups did not differ from each other (p=0.93). A clinically meaningful improvement (a drop of at least 7.36 Conners T-score points) occurred in 35.9%, 44.2% and 13.6% of the three groups respectively (p=0.006). Parents in both consultation groups also reported better coping (p=0.012 and p=0.003). Side effects were all mild (Grade 1), mainly increased hyperactivity, emotional outbursts and tics, and did not differ between groups. Because the remedy and placebo groups improved similarly, the authors attribute the benefit to the consultation rather than the remedy itself. Participants knew whether they were receiving consultations, parents scored the main outcome, and recruitment fell short of the planned 177 because the COVID-19 pandemic halted trials, so expectation effects and limited statistical power remain possible. The authors recommend further research into the mechanism and into whether other forms of consultation or psychological support produce comparable results.

María Magdalena Vaccarezza et al. (2026) · PloS one

This systematic review with meta-analysis pooled 17 randomized controlled trials of ketogenic diet therapies (KDTs) for drug-resistant epilepsy, meaning epilepsy that keeps causing seizures after two or three appropriately chosen antiseizure medications have failed. About 30% of people with epilepsy fall into this group. KDTs are high-fat, low-carbohydrate, adequate-protein diets that shift the body toward burning fat and producing ketone bodies, which are fat-derived fuel molecules that may calm brain activity and support neuron energy metabolism. Several forms exist: the classical ketogenic diet, the medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) diet, the modified Atkins diet with unrestricted protein, and the low glycemic index treatment. A 2020 Cochrane review left the evidence uncertain, and this update added newer trials. Eleven trials enrolled children and six enrolled adolescents and adults, with follow-up of up to 24 months. In nearly all trials, a ketogenic diet was compared with usual care, most often an added medication. The authors searched four databases in February 2024 and again in June 2025, screened 1,193 unique records in duplicate, and pooled results as relative risks (RR) using random-effects models. Study bias was rated with the Cochrane RoB 2 tool, and confidence in each result was graded from high to very low using GRADE. In children, a 50% or greater drop in seizures was far more likely with KDT (RR 4.06, meaning roughly four times the likelihood; 49.7% versus 12.2%, or 37 more children per 100). A 90% or greater drop was borderline (RR 1.74, 95% CI 1.00 to 3.03). Adverse events were similar to usual care (RR 1.03), and dropout was not significantly different (RR 1.64, 95% CI 0.88 to 3.07). In adolescents and adults, 50% or greater seizure reduction was also more likely (RR 7.73, which translates to 16 more per 100), with moderate certainty. Near-complete seizure control (RR 13.00, with a very wide interval of 0.74 to 226.98), side effects and dropout could not be judged because of very low certainty. Reported side effects were mainly gastrointestinal and resolved when the diet stopped. Quality of life findings were mixed: one infant trial found small differences favoring medication in temperament and peer relationships, while parents in another trial reported improved alertness and sleep. The authors interpret the findings as a clinically meaningful benefit for moderate seizure reduction, strongest in children. Certainty was limited by the impossibility of blinding a diet, small event counts and high heterogeneity for some outcomes. Most trials came from high-income countries, which may limit generalizability, and publication bias could not be excluded. No trial reported hospitalizations, status epilepticus or survival. The authors call for better evidence on safety, adherence, cognition and quality of life.

Ilse N Ganzevoort et al. (2026) · The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners

This randomised controlled trial with 152 Dutch children explored whether home-based guided hypnotherapy, added to usual care from a general practitioner (GP), helps children with functional abdominal pain (recurring stomach pain with no underlying disease found) or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS, abdominal pain linked to bowel habit changes). Both conditions are disorders of gut-brain interaction, meaning the gut and the nervous system influence one another, and in children they are linked with anxiety, school absence and lower quality of life. Hypnotherapy is a state of focused attention in which therapeutic suggestions are used to influence sensation, emotion and thought. It is already available in secondary care, but its effect in primary care had not been tested. Children aged 7 to 17 with a GP diagnosis were randomly assigned to usual care alone (education, reassurance and symptom monitoring) or usual care plus hypnotherapy. Of the 152 children, 46 came through GPs and 106 through social media; median age was 9.4 years. The hypnotherapy group listened to five audio exercises on a website, one for breathing and relaxation and four visualisation exercises, for 15 to 20 minutes on at least five days a week for three months. The main outcome was adequate relief of abdominal pain at 12 months; pain severity was rated from 0 to 10. At 12 months the main result was not statistically significant: 79.5% of the hypnotherapy group reported adequate relief versus 74.3% of the usual care group (adjusted odds ratio 1.47, 90% confidence interval 0.74 to 2.93; the interval includes no difference). Earlier, differences were larger. At 3 months 73.2% versus 56.8% reported relief (odds ratio 2.74, meaning higher odds of relief), and at 6 months 77.6% versus 58.6% (odds ratio 4.26). Pain severity scores were lower in the hypnotherapy group by 1.38 points at 6 months and 0.89 points at 12 months, but not significantly at 3 months. Pain threat beliefs were lower and more children fell asleep within 20 minutes. Anxiety, depression, quality of life and school absence were similar between groups. No adverse events were spontaneously reported, but children were not asked about them directly. The authors suggest that hypnotherapy added to usual care may bring earlier relief and lower pain at low cost, and note that relief at 12 months was high in both groups. The trial had limits: it recruited fewer children than planned, so the significance threshold was relaxed to 10%, which raises the chance of false positives. Participants and clinicians knew who received hypnotherapy, and most families preferred it, so placebo effects are possible. More than 40% of pain diary data were missing. The authors call for research on which children benefit most and on possible adverse effects.

Jitesh Verma et al. (2025) · Journal of Ayurveda and integrative medicine

This 90-day randomized trial with 180 boys compared two classical Ayurvedic memory herbs, Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri) and Mandookaparni (Centella asiatica, also known as Gotu Kola) head-to-head, using an individualized approach based on Ayurvedic constitution (Prakriti) — the framework describing a person's inborn balance of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, the three governing principles Ayurveda uses to explain bodily and mental tendencies. Both herbs belong to a class Ayurveda calls Medhya Rasayana, or intellect-enhancers, traditionally used to support learning and memory since antiquity. Boys aged 8-10 with a clearly dominant Prakriti type were randomly assigned to receive either Brahmi or Mandookaparni as a traditional honey-and-ghee electuary, 20 grams daily for 90 days. Memory was measured with the PGI-CMS (a 10-part children's memory scale covering things like recall, attention, and recognition), and IQ was estimated with a drawing-based test, both given before and after the 90-day period. Both herbs meaningfully improved memory: the Brahmi group improved on 9 of 10 memory subsets and total memory score rose about 9% (p<0.01 throughout), while the Mandookaparni group improved on 8 subsets plus attention, with total memory score rising about 13% (p<0.01). Head-to-head, Mandookaparni edged out Brahmi on remote memory, delayed recall, visual recognition, and overall memory score. The advantage was strongest in boys with a Pitta-dominant constitution, where Mandookaparni outperformed Brahmi on nearly every measure, while Vata- and Kapha-constitution boys showed little difference between the two herbs. No side effects were reported with either treatment. The findings suggest both herbs are safe and effective memory-enhancers in healthy children, with Mandookaparni showing a possible edge in retaining and recalling older information. Because the trial compared the two herbs directly rather than against a placebo, it cannot say how much benefit either provides over no treatment at all. The single-center, boys-only design also means the results may not generalize to girls or other populations, and the authors call for larger, multi-site trials.

Hui Ruan et al. (2023) · Journal of integrative and complementary medicine

This randomized trial with 45 children explored whether a traditional Thai massage technique, taught to parents and delivered at home, could help regulate the nervous system and improve walking in kids with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Many children with ASD have an autonomic nervous system — the part of the body that controls automatic functions like heart rate — that runs a bit "on edge," and some also have subtle walking differences linked to how their brain plans movement. Forty-eight children ages 7-12 at a school in China were randomly assigned to either 8 weeks of Traditional Thai Massage, given by their own parents twice a week for 50 minutes after the parents were personally trained and certified, or to their normal school routine. Researchers used a fingertip sensor to measure heart rate variability (a sign of nervous system balance) and a wearable motion sensor to analyze each child's walking pattern, checking in right after the 8 weeks and again two months later. Children who received the massage showed clear signs of a calmer, better-balanced nervous system compared to the control group — measurements linked to the body's natural "rest and relax" response improved significantly, and this held up even two months after the massage program ended. Their walking also changed in one specific way: their stride length (how far each step covers) got noticeably longer, an improvement that also lasted through the two-month check-in. Other walking measures, like speed and step timing, didn't change significantly. These results suggest that a relatively simple, parent-led massage technique — no expensive equipment or professional therapist required — may help calm the nervous system and improve certain aspects of walking in children with autism, with some benefits lasting months later. Because there was no "pretend massage" comparison group, it's hard to know how much of the effect came from the specific Thai massage technique versus simply the comforting touch and extra parent attention involved. The study also included very few girls, reflecting how autism is diagnosed more often in boys, so it's unclear if the results apply equally to girls. Larger and longer studies would help confirm these promising early findings.

Min He et al. (2022) · European journal of medical research

This systematic review and meta-analysis combined 30 randomised controlled trials with 4,413 participants to test whether acupuncture helps allergic rhinitis — the sneezing, congestion and runny nose caused by an allergic reaction in the lining of the nose. What sets it apart is that the authors then stress-tested their own findings using trial sequential analysis, a method that asks whether enough participants have been studied for a pooled result to be trusted rather than treated as a chance finding. Trials came mostly from China (22 of 30), with others from Germany, Australia, South Korea and Sweden, ranging from 24 to 981 participants and lasting between two and twelve weeks. Three needling approaches were used: standard needle acupuncture, electroacupuncture, and warm needling, in which mugwort is burned on the needle to heat it. Acupuncture was compared against no treatment, against sham needling at non-acupuncture points, and against antihistamines including cetirizine and loratadine. Symptoms were scored with the Total Nasal Symptom Score and quality of life with the Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire. Against no treatment, acupuncture improved both nasal symptoms and quality of life in adults. Against sham needling it also came out ahead, improving nasal symptoms (mean difference -0.60, 95% CI -1.16 to -0.04, from 489 participants) and quality of life (mean difference -8.47, 95% CI -14.91 to -2.03, from 248 participants) — both statistically significant, since neither confidence interval crosses zero. Against cetirizine or loratadine no clear difference appeared, suggesting acupuncture performs about as well as standard antihistamines. But the trial sequential analysis failed to confirm any of these results, meaning the pooled evidence has not yet accumulated enough participants to be considered reliable. Effects in children and adolescents could not be determined at all. The honest summary is a promising signal that has not yet been confirmed. Performance and attrition bias were serious in most of the included trials, and the authors' own robustness check contradicted their own positive findings. For an adult who would rather not take daily antihistamines, acupuncture is a defensible option on current evidence; it is not yet a demonstrated one. Larger and better-conducted trials, especially in children, are what would settle the question.