The United States agency that conducts scientific research into complementary and alternative medicines is the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, part of the National Institutes of Health. The NCCAM monitors natural products like minerals, vitamins, probiotics, herbs and other botanicals, dietary supplements and amino acids. They also study mind and body practices like massage therapy, acupuncture, chiropractors, tai chi, yoga, qigong, meditation and other relaxation techniques.
Many of the techniques in alternative and complementary medicine are centuries old, including traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic practices and treatments, naturopathic medicine and homeopathic medicines.
A wide range of these non-traditional medicines and practices are given to children, including acupuncture, dietary supplements, and yoga. One study by the NCCAM claimed that nearly 12 percent of American children (defined as ages 4 to 17) had been given an alternative health product or undergone a complementary practice in the year before 2012, the date of the survey’s release. The alternative approaches were most often used for head or chest colds, back or neck pain, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety and stress, and sleep issues.
Whether traditional medicine supports a particular treatment or medicine usually relies on whether studies have proven their efficacy. Often, a treatment that was skeptically greeted by traditional medicine may be embraced down the road when scientific support for its claims emerges. Even treatments where there is no full understanding of how or why it works - like acupuncture - may be embraced if its effectiveness is shown.
ACUPUNCTURE FOR KIDS
Acupuncture is particularly noted by researchers as age-appropriate, mainly because it has so few side effects, a big consideration if a child is sensitive to certain medicines.
The use of acupuncture treatments in children is growing, paralleling the trend among adults, and not just for pain relief. Acupuncture has been used to treat children for anxiety, fatigue, sleep problems, reflux, nausea, stomach pain, headaches, ADHD, bone and joint pain, bedwetting, drooling asthma and allergies.
United States government figures estimate more than 150,000 children in the United States utilized acupuncture treatment in the last year.
SEVERAL STUDIES BACK IT
Researchers at Canada’s University of Alberta did a combined data probe on acupuncture with children, looking at 37 international studies. Out of the more than 1,400 children in the analysis, about 168 had mild side effects from treatments. Serious problems were rare and were mostly confined to clinics in countries where strict safety standards were not observed.
A study published in the medical journal Pediatrics echoed those results. The first large-scale review on the safety of acupuncture in pediatric patients, the Pediatrics study claimed that about one in 10 children had bruising, pain or numbness at the site of needle penetration during acupuncture. Infections and nerve impairment were called rare by the study. The results mirrored similar studies done in adults, which found such complications in about five of every one million treatment sessions.
NEEDLES PROBLEM
Many children are reluctant to try acupuncture because of previous bad experiences with needles. In acupuncture, points on the body are selected and very tiny needles are inserted, then stimulated or heated, in some cases. The idea is to affect the flow of chi within the body and restore harmony to the inner self.
Doctors explain to young patients that the needles in acupuncture are different than those used for other practices, like blood drawing or vaccinations. The child-friendly practitioner will show the child the hair-thin needle and explain that inserting them is practically painless. For those who still aren’t convinced, the skilled practitioner may first recommend acupressure, which stimulates certain body areas with a massage-like pressure that can be practiced at home.
In certain other cases, laser acupuncture may be used if the patient is particularly wary of needles.
OTHER TREATMENTS
Although acupuncture is generally well received and is regulated by official medical boards in most of the United States, other treatments find traditional medical practitioners a bit more cautious. That’s mainly because there have not been enough studies to support the effectiveness of the treatments, particularly in children. Thus, it is wise to discuss with your doctor whether alternative therapies you are interested in may be appropriate for your child’s condition.
These alternative treatments include:
1) Hypnosis - There have been some studies on bedwetting children using hypnosis. The power of suggestion encourages the child to wake up in a dry bed, but to date, there has been little evidence that the practice is effective.
2) Chiropractic therapy - Some children have benefitted from treatments to relieve pain, but wider studies are needed to support the broader claims of chiropractic treatment, which is often touted as a cure for many body functions.
3) Herbal supplements and homeopathy - This area is a traditional red flag for most mainstream doctors, mostly because these treatments or supplements can interfere with traditional medicines or may encourage discontinuation of approved treatments. Keep in mind that calling something “natural” does not vouch for its safety. Dietary supplements are not subject to the same safety regulations that the United States Food and Drug Administration requires of over-the-counter medications.
Often, herbal supplements contain less of a particular product than the label claims, and the supplement may have pesticides, heavy metals or other contaminants. This can cause problems if the parent gives a higher dose than recommended, thinking a natural product will be more effective at higher rates of ingestion. This is a mistake, particularly since some supplements can cause such negative effects as liver damage.
It is usually strongly recommended that a discussion with a child’s doctor take place before any herbal or supplemental regiment is undertaken, particularly for more serious diseases like cancer or kidney problems.