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Alternative Therapies

Explanation / Guidelines for Complementary, Integrative and Alternative Medicine

More and more families of special-needs children are turning to complementary, integrative or alternative medicine -- treatment options that are used in addition to, or in place of, traditional western medicine.

Generally complementary, alternative and / or integrative medicine (CAM) can be defined as a broad set of health care practices that are not easily integrated into the dominant health care model, because they pose significant challenges to societal beliefs and practices.

Complementary and integrative implies that these therapies are performed in addition to, and not in place of, conventional medicine.
Alternative refers to therapies that are a replacement to conventional therapy.
Health care-related goals of CAM generally include:

Using natural remedies rather than artificial drugs
Treating the cause of the problem versus the symptoms
Treating the whole person instead of the disease

Examples of CAM can include massage, herbal medicines and acupuncture, nutritional supplements, chiropractic, electromagnetic, and hyperbaric oxygen.

To decide whether or not a complementary, alternative and / or integrative medicine is right for your child, here are some important guidelines:

Evaluate the risk and benefits critically. Both CAM and conventional care have risks and benefits. Patients and their families should be equally inquisitive when considering either type of care.
All medical regimens consider the whole patient, including general nutrition, stress, accompanying conditions, family supports and spiritual belief system.
Talk with your child's physician(s). The best outcomes for treatment necessitate open communication between the patient / family and physician on all medications and therapies being used.
"Natural" products and herbal medicines are not necessarily safer. Some plant-based medicines may contain lead, mercury or arsenic.
Read labels carefully and choose products made by members of the American Herbal Product Association or look for supplements with a seal showing their contents have been verified by the U.S. Pharmacopeia.

Other helpful information about CAM:

Most effective CAM eventually becomes conventional care. The greatest increase in longevity and quality of life in the past century occurred when CAM therapies that are scientifically proven to be beneficial and cost-effective are incorporated with conventional medicine.
Currently there are no appropriate scientific guidelines to ensure the safety and efficacy of CAM.
More studies need to be done on complementary, alternative and / or integrative medicine and its use with children.

Resources for Complementary, Integrative and Alternative Therapies

The Center for Infants and Children with Special Needs at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center has put together a list of web sites that provide information about alternative therapies. These resources will help educate parents and professionals about the complex issues sometimes involved, as well as the risks and benefits of specific therapies.

Alternative Medicine: Health Care Information Resources provides links to both general and specific web-based resources related to alternative medicine and therapies.
American Academy of Pediatrics web site offers a policy statement from the March 2001 Committee of Children with Disabilities regarding the use of complementary and alternative therapies in children with chronic illness or disabilities. This statement focuses on issues that are important for families and pediatricians to consider and discuss together.
Healthfinder" is a federal web site, developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services together with other federal agencies. This site links to over 1,700 carefully selected, health-related organizations.
HolisticKids.org is a Pediatric Integrative Medicine Education Project between Boston Medical Center, Children's Hospital of Boston, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
The Journal of Chinese Medicine specializes in articles on the treatment of diseases by acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine.
Kids Health for Parents offers an article on Alternative Medicine and Your Child. This web site prides itself on providing families with accurate, up-to-date, jargon-free and usable health information.
MEDLINEplus: Health Information is a service of the US National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine is one of 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH is one of eight agencies under the Public Health Service (PHS) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Their mission is to support rigorous research on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), to train researchers in CAM, and to disseminate information to the public and professionals on which CAM modalities work, which do not and why. Their publication, "Get the Facts: Are You Considering Using Complementary and Alternative Medicine?" provides helpful information.
National Institutes of Health: Office of Dietary Supplements supports research and disseminates research results in the area of dietary supplements.
Natural Health and Longevity Resource Center provides information on herbal medicine and links to alternative medicine web sites.
Nutrition Focus provides current nutrition and wellness information and resources.
Quackwatch's purpose is to combat health-related frauds, myths, fad and fallacies.
Special Kids Therapy provides funding assistance to Ohio children for alternative therapies that are not covered by insurance. They will also assist eligible families with the purchase of special medical equipment such as wheelchairs, communication devices and auditory equipment.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration provides information on dietary supplements.
The White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy (WHCCAMP) was charged with addressing issues related to research on practices and products, delivery of and public access to services, dissemination of reliable information, and appropriate licensing, education and training of health care professionals.