Fact Sheets for Families Alternative

The number of Americans using laws in some states require health plans to cover this for themselves and their children is increasing. Accord- alternative form of care. ing to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), 40 percent of Americans Alternative methods of may be popular, but in 1997 used alternative medicine, spending $27 billion their scientific basis has not been established in most out of pocket. Six out of 10 did not tell their cases. The areas where alternative seem to they were doing so. have most appeal are those where conventional medi- cine is not able to meet a need. Examples are chronic Alternative medicine back pain, gastrointestinal problems, arthritis and eat- is also known as com- ing disorders—health problems either caused or made plementary, holistic, worse by stress or emotional disorders. unorthodox and inte- grative medicine, and The decision to use complementary and alternative rem- refers to most treatment edies is an important one. As an informed health practices not considered conventional–that is, widely consumer, you need to consider the safety and effec- practiced or accepted by the mainstream medical com- tiveness of the treatment, the expertise and qualifications munity. People often refer to these remedies as of the practitioner, the quality of the service “alternative” if used alone and as “complementary” if delivery, and the particular medical problem before se- used in combination with other alternative or conven- lecting an alternative method of treatment. tional . Things to consider The widely known methods of alternative remedies are • Because Congress determined in 1994 that “dietary , , medicine, chiroprac- supplements” were exempt from the regulations of tic, , , relaxation therapy, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the safety , music therapy, megavitamins and tradi- and effectiveness of herbal and alternative remedies tional folk medicine. The most common is herbal are not monitored. medicine. • Understanding the safety, effectiveness, indications for use and proper dosage of alternative remedies Although information on the use of alternative medi- is important to avoid possible interaction or harm- cine by children is limited, a majority of pediatricians ful delays in getting conventional treatment. believe that some of their patients seek alternative care. • Most untested herbal remedies are probably harm- Alternative medicine is an aspect of children’s health less and seem to be used primarily by healthy people care that can no longer be ignored. for prevention or health maintenance. However, adulterants (inferior and improper ingredients) in Some medical schools now teach alternative medicine some herbal products can cause poisoning. The due to its rising and widespread use. A growing num- herbal stimulant (also known as Ma Huang, epitonin or ephedrine and marketed as safe and le- ber of hospitals and some health maintenance gal) is known to have caused deaths. organizations offer alternative medicine treatment, and • The Administration Policy for your child care facility will also apply to alternative medicine. Provided by California Childcare Health Program The administration of medicines should be limited to: For more information, please contact: ■ Prescribed medications ordered by a licensed Healthline 1-800-333-3212 health care provider for a specific child; and ■ Nonprescription medications recommended by Distributed by: a health care provider for a specific child, with written permission of the parent or legal guard- ian, and instructions to the facility from a health care provider.

by A. Rahman Zamani, MD, MPH

04/02