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

1. University of Texas Center for Alternative Medicine Research, http://www.sph.uth.tmc.edu/utcam/default.htm
2. The National Institutes of Health Office of Alternative Medicine, http://altmed.od.nih.gov/
3. The National Council for Reliable Health Information, http://www.ncahf.org
4. 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.