The use of complementary and alternative health care practices among children

Abstract

Pediatric nurses should ask parents and children about CAM use in an open manner that promotes discussion. Further refinement of the screening tool is needed.

Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine by Males With Duchenne or Becker Muscular Dystrophy

“…The proportion of reported complementary and alternative medicine use observed in this study was higher than has been reported for the general pediatric population, 5,7,9 and in children with neuromuscular disorders in general, 13 and muscular dystrophy in particular. 13,14 Similarly, the proportion of use in this population was higher than what has been reported for adults with neurologic disorders 18 or functional disabilities.…”

“…14 A variety of complementary and alternative therapies have been reported among pediatric populations, including chiropractic manipulation, herbal therapy, homeopathy, prayer, massage, special diets, megavitamins, acupuncture, and aquatherapy. 4,7,10,[12][13][14] Factors noted to influence use included child age 6,7,12 and disease state, 12 parent/caregiver age, 6 race, 7 and use of complementary and alternative medicine, [6][7][8][9][10]12 maternal education level, 12 healthcare provider recommendation, 10 and geographical region of residence 8,9 ; however, these findings have not been consistently replicated. A common limitation of many studies is the use of small clinic-based samples.…”

“…2 In particular, a 2007 report revealed that 38.3% adults in the United States used complementary and alternative medicine. 3 Use of complementary and alternative medicine has also been reported in pediatric populations, [4][5][6][7][8][9] especially among children with chronic disease or disability. 4,10,11 Higher rates of use are reported in children with chronic conditions not amendable to surgical treatment (eg, cerebral palsy) 12 compared with those that can be surgically repaired (eg, cleft lip and/or palate).…”

“…A common limitation of many studies is the use of small clinic-based samples. 7,13,14 In addition, some studies have not focused on complementary and alternative medicine use in children with specific chronic conditions, but rather studied use among children receiving services in special needs clinics. 10,14 With the increase in complementary and alternative medicine use among children with chronic disease or disability, improved understanding of types and patterns of such use for specific conditions is needed.…”

Integrative Pediatric Care: Parents' Attitudes Toward Communication of Physicians and CAM Practitioners

“…High prevalence of CAM use also is reported among children with chronic diseases (eg, functional and organic gastrointestinal diseases 3 ), those with unvaccinated or partially vaccinated status, 4 and those with life-threatening diseases (eg, cancer 5 ). Typical CAM modalities used in the pediatric population include herbs, vitamins, and homeopathic and nutritional supplements, but these modalities significantly varied by the child's age (eg, massage in infants, 6 prayer or faith healing in adolescents 7 ), country of origin, and nature of disease (eg, biofeedback and guided imagery in pediatric pain management service). [8][9][10] Several studies examined the effect of pediatric CAM use on doctor-parent and doctor-child communication.…”