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Acupuncturist fined for treating crying baby

David Landes
David Landes - [email protected]
Acupuncturist fined for treating crying baby

An acupuncturist from Sundsvall in northern Sweden has been convicted of quackery for treating a one-month-old baby suffering from colic.

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The child’s parents became increasing desperate because their little girl wouldn’t stop crying on account of stomach cramps, writes the Dagbladet newspaper.

Not sure where else to turn, they sought treatment from the acupuncturist, who treated the child for several weeks during the autumn of 2006.

While the parents were pleased with the results of the treatment, Swedish regulations stipulate that only licenced healthcare professionals are allowed to treat children younger than eight years old.

When a nurse from a local pediatric clinic learned that the infant had been treated with the acupuncturist’s needles, she reported the matter to police.

The acupuncturist, who has more than 20 years of experience, admitted having an awareness of the regulations, but choose to ignore them because she knew the parents.

“Normally I’d have said no,” the acupuncturist said during the trial.

Despite the parents’ claims that the treatment worked, the prosecutor stressed that performing acupuncture on children is prohibited regardless of the outcome and asked the acupuncturist be fined.

The size of the fine will be decided on during a sentencing hearing on September 18th.

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