Use of complementary and alternative medicine in children: too important to ignore.
There is evidence that complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is commonly being used for Australian children, however, at the same time, many doctors have little interest or understanding of the topic. Just as with mainstream treatments, CAM therapies have significant potential for adverse effects and drug interactions. Some of these are potentially serious. The use of CAM therapies in children is not an occasional fringe activity, and evidence suggests its usage will increase further. Whatever one's own views on the role of CAM in childrens health care, the topic is important and it should not be ignored.
South
M
M
Department of General Medicine, University of Melbourne and Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia. mike.south@rch.org.au
Lim
A
A
D001315:Australia; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans