Henan Hospital Probed Over ‘Mythical Cure’ for Cerebral Palsy – Sixth Tone

Health authorities in central Chinas Henan province have ordered an investigation into a public hospital that allegedly administered a mythical cure to children with cerebral palsy, Sixth Tones sister publication The Paper reported Monday.

The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University was accused of using needles to inject neurotrophic medicine into acupuncture points a therapy they dubbed fengzhen, or sealing needles to treat the condition affecting speech and muscle coordination. Dingxiang Doctor, a reputable new media platform that shares health-related expertise and debunks medical myths, exposed the hospital Monday and also alleged that some of the children who underwent the treatment suffered from epileptic episodes and strokes as a result.

In the hospital, the nations largest cerebral palsy rehabilitation center, almost all children have received different degrees of this fengzhen treatment a pediatric trauma therapy that still lacks medical evidence, the article said.

A staff member from the Third Affiliated Hospitals publicity office told Sixth Tone on Tuesday that hospital administrators are in talks to address the issues raised by Dingxiang Doctor but declined to elaborate.

A woman carries a child who has just received a fengzhen treatment in Zhengzhou, Henan province. From the public WeChat account

Cerebral palsy is amovement disordercaused by abnormal brain development or damage to the developing brain, and affects a persons ability to control their muscles. Anestimated 5 million children in China under the age of 14 have been diagnosed with cerebral palsy,accordingto a 2016 study.

According to Dingxiang Doctor,fengzheninvolves dozens of injections into a patients head, neck, limbs, and waist, resulting in pain and minor bleeding. Some patients suffer more than others: While one girl experienced epilepsy after receiving the treatment for one and a half months, a 6-month-old boy suffered a rare stroke after four rounds of treatment, according to the article.

Fengzhenwas introduced by Wan Guolan, director of the hospitals child rehabilitation department, in 1992 totreat childrenwith cerebral palsy and hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy a brain injury according to the hospitals website. The hospitalclaimsthat in the years since, over 90,000 patients have visited for the treatment, which the website describes as gods treatment and very effective.

Wan previously claimed that, from 1997 to 2002, the hospital used the treatment to cure 190 out of 381 children who had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, according to Dingxiang Doctors article,which cited one of Wans studies.

Sun Chengyan, an expert on child cerebral palsy treatment with nearly three decades of experience, told Sixth Tone on Tuesday that fengzhen treatment is cruel considering the number of needles used on children. Rehabilitation techniques such as physical exercise, as well as surgeries in some cases, are recognized forms of treatment, he said, adding that medical experts shouldnt make blanket statements claiming they can cure the disorders using treatments that havent been scientifically proven.

Bao Xiulan, a pediatrician at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, also told Dingxiang Doctor that, contrary to the hospitals claims,fengzhen treatment doesnt help cure certain conditions associated with either cerebral palsy or the brain injury syndrome,which she described as a nonexistent health condition.

This is not the first time a hospital has been found promoting questionable medical treatments for children. In July, a childrens hospital in eastern Chinas Jiangxi province removed a staff member and stopped using a traditional Chinese medicine treatment calledsanfutie believed to ward off winter ailments after nearly 100 children complained of side effects such as burns, blisters, and itchiness.

Editor: Bibek Bhandari.

(Header image: EyeEm/VCG)

See the original post:
Henan Hospital Probed Over 'Mythical Cure' for Cerebral Palsy - Sixth Tone