Abstract:

Tic disorders (TD) are neuropsychiatric conditions characterized by involuntary muscular or vocal tics, presenting a significant challenge to children's learning and daily lives. This article reviews the literature in the past decade on auricular therapy for pediatric TD, sums up its mechanisms of action, and categorizes and summarizes relevant clinical treatment protocols. Auricular therapy can significantly alleviate tic symptoms and has three major advantages: high safety, simple operation and good compliance among children. It compensates for the drawbacks of western medications, such as lots of side effects and tendency to induce drug resistance, providing a novel approach to the long-term management of pediatric TD. Future research should focus on deepening mechanistic investigations and strengthening evidence-based medical validation.

Key words: Tic disorders, Auricular acupoints, Acupuncture therapy, Acupressure, Child