Bedwetting is a problem for five million children over the age of 5 in our country. It happens when children make more urine than their bladders can hold and they do not wake up to notice. As a result they wet the bed. Treatments include behavioral therapies and medication or both. Unfortunately when the medications are stopped the problem continues. Fortunately most children outgrow bedwetting.

A recent study done in Turkey has found a potentially safe and easy solution. They took 91 children who were bedwetters and treated two-thirds of them with laser acupuncture. The rest of the children received sham or fake acupuncture. After 15 days forty percent of the treated group versus eight percent of the sham group had complete improvement. After six months, fifty-four percent of the treated group and 12 percent of the sham group had total improvement.

I think the results are impressive. The treatment is safe and inexpensive. In my opinion, for my child given the choice of a drug with side effects versus a painless inexpensive procedure, this treatment wins hands down. I hope to see more trials that confirm these findings and acupuncturists who are doing this particular form of acupuncture.