| Healing Arts Center
for Children
COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE:
Safety and efficacy in Children
Safety and efficacy of Complementary and Alternative
medication is being analyzed by various organizations in the world. The
NIH has given multiple grants to investigators and The American Academy
of Pediatrics publishes such data frequently in its journals. Germany
has a large collection of homeopathic literature; India has well controlled
trials on Ayurvedic medicine and China on acupuncture and herbals. Alternative
medications have a high rate of effectiveness in people that believe in
them, demonstrating a huge placebo effect. Traditional doctors sometimes
write these off as being in the mind. However, Randomized Clinical Trial
evidence in pediatric CAM is being published in a substantial number of
journals. Parents or clinicians seeking pediatric CAM evidence require
access to at least three
indexing databases. These are Medline, Embase, and CAB
Health.
Helpful Resources on the Internet
- University of Texas Center for Alternative Medicine Research, http://www.sph.uth.tmc.edu/utcam/default.htm
- The National Institutes of Health Office of Alternative Medicine, http://altmed.od.nih.gov/
- The National Council for Reliable Health Information, http://www.ncahf.org
- The Consumer Federation of America, http://www.quackwatch.com
Safety is of prime importance in pediatrics. The
above website will lead you to details if you wish to seek more information.
Drug interactions are to be kept in mind at all times. Most pharmacies
now have computer databases that they can run profiles of drug interactions
with CAM medications. Always let your physician know what you are using
to help protect your child. |
