Comparative effectiveness of East Asian traditional medicine for treatment of idiopathic short stature in children: systematic review and network meta-analysis

Electrical Stimulation of Acupuncture Points Helps Resolve a Child's Failure to Thrive

Background

Failure to thrive (FTT) is a challenging childhood condition that may lead to developmental delays and requires immediate therapeutic strategies. Children are diagnosed with FTT when their weight or rate of weight gain is significantly below that of other children of similar age and sex. A Pub Med literature search revealed no published acupuncture treatments for failure to thrive or faltering growth.

Case

A 2 year, 4 month-old female was presented with FTT and a history of multiple severe congenital medical conditions. Western medical treatment with optimization of tube feeds achieved weight scores in the third-to-fifth percentile range. Acupuncture points were electrically stimulated for the child once monthly for 30 seconds with a Pointer Plus™ at each of 12 traditional Chinese/Shu Mu points and at several auricular points: Appetite, Stomach, Small Intestine, and Large Intestine bilateral.

Results

The patient gained weight during the treatment, increasing monthly as shown on fully naked weight measurements to the 25th percentile, 28th percentile, 32nd percentile, 40th percentile, 46th percentile, 61st percentile, and 65th percentile. Her treatment was spaced to every 2.5 months after the 46th percentile measurement, and her weight started to level off when it reached the 61st percentile.

Conclusions

In this particular case, electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation may have facilitated a weight gain in this female child. EA (nonneedle) research should be explored for FTT.

The Effects of Natural Product-Derived Extracts for Longitudinal Bone Growth: An Overview of In Vivo Experiments

Approximately 80% of children with short stature are classified as having Idiopathic Short Stature (ISS). While growth hormone (GH) treatment received FDA approval in the United States in 2003, its long-term impact on final height remains debated. Other treatments, like aromatase inhibitors, metformin, and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), have been explored, but there is no established standard treatment for ISS. In South Korea and other Asian countries, East Asian Traditional Medicine (EATM) is sometimes employed by parents to potentially enhance their children's height growth, often involving herbal medicines. One such product, Astragalus membranaceus extract mixture HT042, claims to promote height growth in children and has gained approval from the Korean Food and Drug Administration (KFDA). Research suggests that HT042 supplementation can increase height growth in children without skeletal maturation, possibly by elevating serum IGF-1 and IGF-binding protein-3 levels. Preclinical studies also indicate the potential benefits of natural products, including of EATM therapies for ISS. The purpose of this review is to offer an overview of bone growth factors related to ISS and to investigate the potential of natural products, including herbal preparations, as alternative treatments for managing ISS symptoms, based on their known efficacy in in vivo studies.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of herbal medicines in children with idiopathic short stature

BACKGROUND

Herbal medicines have been used for a long time to treat idiopathic short stature (ISS) in children in East Asian countries. The aim of this study was to analyze the cost-effectiveness of 5 herbal medicines frequently used in clinical settings for children with ISS based on medical records.

METHODS

Patients with ISS who had been prescribed a 60-day supply of herbal medicines in 1 Korean medicine hospital were included in this analysis. Their height and height percentile were measured before and after treatment within 6-months. The average cost-effectiveness ratios (ACERs) of 5 herbal medicines for height (cm) and height percentile were calculated for boys and girls, respectively.

RESULTS

The ACERs per 1 cm height growth were USD 56.2 (Naesohwajung-Tang), USD 74.8 (Ogapi-Growth decoction), USD 86.6 (Gamcho-Growth decoction), USD 94.6 (Gwakhyangjeonggi-San plus Yukmijihwang-Tang), and USD 113.8 (Boyang-Growth decoction). The ACERs per 1 percentile height growth were USD 205 (Naesohwajung-Tang), USD 293 (Ogapi-Growth decoction), USD 470 (Gamcho-Growth decoction), USD 949 (Boyang-Growth decoction), and USD 1051 (Gwakhyangjeonggi-San plus Yukmijihwang-Tang).

CONCLUSION

Herbal medicine might be a potential economical alternative treatment for ISS.

Comparative Effectiveness of East Asian Traditional Medicine for Childhood Simple Obesity: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis

Childhood obesity leads to various comorbidities and usually persists into adulthood, increasing socioeconomic burden. In the absence of a clearly effective treatment, East Asian traditional medicine (EATM) therapies have been widely used. We aimed to analyze the comparative effectiveness and safety of EATM techniques for children with simple obesity through network meta-analysis (NMA). Twelve databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the effect of EATMs on childhood simple obesity. Individual EATMs were ranked based on the surface under the cumulative ranking curve. The risk of bias in the individual studies and publication bias in the NMA were evaluated. Thirty-three RCTs were included. Acupuncture, chuna, chuna plus acupressure, cupping plus acupressure, herbal medicine (HM), and HM plus acupuncture significantly reduced BMI compared with lifestyle management. Based on the treatment ranking, cupping plus acupressure was optimal for BMI reduction compared with a non-medical management, followed by chuna and HM. The quality of evidence for individual findings was usually moderate to low, and no serious adverse events of EATM were reported. Cupping plus acupressure might have a large beneficial effect, and chuna or HM probably have a moderate beneficial effect on reducing BMI in children with simple obesity.