Complementary therapies are used along with, and not instead of, your child’s current treatment plan. Communication between you, your child’s healthcare provider and complementary medical practitioner is key to a safe and positive experience with complementary therapies.
Complementary medicine is:
Many complementary therapies have become incorporated into pediatric healthcare in the last decade.
Complementary therapies may be suggested as a way to help
Complementary medicine can be found all over the world and some therapies have been used for thousands of years to treat and heal disease. It is interesting to know that practices and products that we consider complementary in our Western culture are actually used as conventional or mainstream practices in other Eastern cultures.
There are few studies of complementary therapies in children so it can be easy to believe the personal stories of people claiming to have had good results with one complementary therapy or another. Keep in mind that these testimonials are not evidence or proof. It is important that you discuss any complementary therapy you are considering for your child with his or her doctor.
Communication between you, your child’s healthcare provider and complementary medical practitioner is necessary for a safe, successful and positive experience with complementary medicine.
Complementary medicine works together with your child’s conventional treatment plan
Alternative medicine is a medical practice or product that is used instead or in place of a conventional treatment plan.
Examples of complementary therapies include:
Complementary therapies can, and are, used by children. There are important things to consider before deciding to use a complementary therapy with your child.
Right now, most complementary therapies have not been well researched in children so it is hard to know which, if any, complementary therapies really work.
Children are not small adults and because of this, complementary therapies that have good results for adults with IBD may have different results in children with Pedi IBD.
It is also important to know that a complementary therapy may interact with medications your child is currently taking or cause bleeding-related complications with surgery or other procedures.
That is why it is important to let your child’s healthcare providers know if you are considering using one or more complementary therapies for your child’s Pedi IBD.
It has been suggested that the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on inflammation may be helpful to some patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis when used along with standard therapy. Several studies have been conducted in this area.
At this time, the results of these studies do not give a clear answer one way or another. For this reason, further research is needed.
It is known that high doses of omega-3 fatty acids may have harmful effects such as an increased risk of bleeding when taken along with Pedi IBD meds such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDS) including – ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), naproxen (Naprosyn, Aleve).
Before making the decision to work with a complementary medicine practitioner, be sure to ask about his or her:
With so many web sites giving information about health issues it can be confusing and difficult to know if you can trust what you read.
Look for the following basic information clearly stated on a health information web site
Knowing the answers to the questions above will help you to decide whether or not a health information web site provides reliable, accurate and up to date information.
Most complementary therapies are paid for as out of pocket expenses. In some cases you may find that your insurance provider covers partial payment of visits and diagnostic treatments or a limited number of visits.
It is important to check with your insurance provider about their policy coverage of a specific complementary therapy and practitioner before beginning treatment.
Because you will either be paying the costs of the therapy yourself either in part or in full or will be asked to itemize the cost of services by your insurance company, it is important to ask the following questions before deciding to begin a complementary therapy with your child
If your family’s healthcare is provided through the United States government, your coverage can include the following complementary therapies:
Parents sometimes look for and try complementary therapies for their children:
Parents of children with chronic or potentially disabling disease like Pedi IBD are more likely to research or find complementary therapies to use with their child because of these reasons.
Because there are very few scientific studies about complementary therapies in children, it can be easy to believe the personal stories of people claiming to have had good results with one complementary therapy or another. Keep in mind that these testimonials are not evidence or proof.
Your child’s healthcare provider can often be a good resource for information about a specific complementary therapy. Make sure to ask your child’s physician:
To make sure that your child’s experience with a complementary therapy is as safe and successful as possible, remember to always discuss any complementary therapy you are considering for your child with his or her doctor.
If your child experiences an effect from a CAM therapy that concerns you, contact your child’s health care provider.
Remember, you know your child best. Trust your judgment. If your child is experiencing something that you are not sure about or that makes you feel uncomfortable, let your healthcare provider know right away.