3 things parents should know about complementary and alternative medicine

Follow me on Twitter @drClaire More and more, I have families in my practice who are trying out treatments and therapies I didn’t prescribe. Most of the time, it’s absolutely fine. Other times, it’s not. “Complementary and alternative medicine” is a broad term that refers to treatments that are not generally part of traditional Western medicine. It includes things like herbal remedies, dietary supplements or alternative diets, acupuncture, acupressure, homeopathy, Chinese remedies, Reiki, or hypnosis. It also includes things like yoga or meditation — and chiropractic medicine. Many of these therapies have become increasingly mainstream. In fact, more than 1 in 10 US children, and more than half of US children with chronic medical conditions, have used them. As use of these therapies grow, often fueled by what people read on the Internet and social media, it’s important that people get informed and educated, especially if they are going to use them on their children. That’s why the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published a report entitled “Pediatric Integrative Medicine” in the journal Pediatrics. Here are three things all parents should know about complementary and alternative medicine: 1.  Many of them are very useful. It’s not as if Western medicine has the corner on all medical knowledge. Some of these therapies, like acupuncture, have been around for literally thousands of years. The more we study these therapies, the more we learn about the ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Children's Health Complementary and alternative medicine Parenting Source Type: blogs