Alternative medicine popular with parents of kids with asthma

 

Parents faced with the stress of an incurable childhood disease—such as asthma—often turn to alternative medicine remedies. asthma is a chronic upper respiratory disease that causes the lungs and airways to become inflamed and swollen, which can make breathing difficult. Severe asthma attacks can be fatal. Data from the University of Maryland Medical Center indicates that about 20 million Americans have asthma; half of them are children.

 

Studies show that one in five parents of an asthmatic child has turned to a medical treatment other than that prescribed by their doctor. But a new study published in the May issue of Pediatricsjournal found that parents are using the alternative treatments to complement—not to replace—conventional medical treatments.


Standard treatment for childhood asthma includes steroids, usually administered in an inhaled vapor, to counteract inflammation in the lungs. But compliance with medication schedules has been low, partly because steroids can cause troubling side effects.


In the latest research, 187 parents of asthmatic children were questioned about both alternative medicine use and compliance with standard medical treatments. Eighteen percent of the parents reported that they had used some form of alternative medicine to treat their child’s condition. Parents said that their children missed an average of 7.7 percent of their daily pharmaceutical medications.


The alternative medicines most frequently used were dietary changes, breathing exercises, meditation and prayer, massage, and Homeopathy. Using alternative medicines was not linked to a decline in the use of conventional medicines; in other words, even those who used alternative medical treatments used them as Complementary medicine rather than in place of the treatments recommended by their child’s doctor. The following herbal treatments are sometimes used to treat asthma:

• Turmeric, an Ayurvedic spice that is a blood thinner and known anti-inflammatory. turmeric is thought to dilate blood vessels and improve oxygenation. Because of its blood-thinning properties, turmeric should be used in children only under medical supervision.
• Boswellia, another Ayurvedic remedy that has been used for centuries in India as a treatment for respiratory problems. People taking medication to lower cholesterol or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines should not use boswellia.
• Saibodu-to, a Japanese herbal tonic that may help patients lower their dosages of steroids. Because of its potential to produce side effects, Saibodu-to should be used only under medical supervision.
• Parsley Leaf, a natural expectorant that makes coughing more productive. Parsley leaf is often used as a tea.
• Mullein, an herb found in many herbal cough and cold remedies which may help ease coughing.
• Ginkgo Biloba, an herb that improves circulation and may help oxygenate the blood.
• Reishi Mushroom, a strong anti-inflammatory and immune system booster that may help reduce swelling in the lungs.
• Butterbur, another anti-inflammatory that may be especially useful in asthma caused by allergies.

If your child is under the care of a pediatrician or conventional medicine provider, it is VITAL that you let that physician know about any herbal remedies you are giving to your child or plan to give to your child.


Some parents are hesitant to let their conventional doctor know about their interest in alternative medicines, but because some conventional treatments can interact badly with alternative treatments, all healthcare providers involved must be aware of all substances that are being given to the patient.


With investigation, it is often possible to find anintegrative medicine provider: a healthcare provider who also understands the value of alternative medical treatments.  


Sources: HealthDay, Natural News



Alternative Medicine - What is it About?



Alternative medicine is the use of preventative and therapeutic treatments based on concepts that are outside the typically accepted or modern methods of medicine. Some alternative medicine is named so because it differs from Western biomedicine. Some consider anything not taught in American medical schools to be “alternative.”

 

Alternative Medicine vs. Conventional Medicine

 

Alternative medicine was once thought to be impossible to prove, though many researchers now have proven the efficacy of several different practices, such as biological medicine and energy healing. However, even when clinical trials can prove an alternative medicine treatment works, it is often impossible to prove how and why it worked.

 

Conventional medicine uses scientific proof by means of double blind, random control trials that become the basis for evidence-based practices. But it’s far more difficult to determine how alternative medicine works because, while disease can be measured and tracked, vibrant health is much harder to define. Health is more than just the body, and it is more than the mind.

 

Many forms of alternative medicine work on mind and body together, in an approach that is called holistic or mind-body medicine. In some cases, alternative medicine might address the life energy that the patient considers to be his. These forms of healing are not measurable by today’s scientists.

 

Alternative Medicine and Complementary Medicine

 

Alternative medicine is not always used to replace Western medicine or biomedicine. In some cases, it is used as a treatment alongside conventional treatments; in this case, alternative medicine is referred to as “complementary” medicine. Complementary medicine may help treat an illness while biomedicine treats the symptoms, or vice versa. More often, Complementary medicine is used to treat the side effects of conventional medical treatments. Complementary medicine is often useful with extreme medical treatments like chemotherapy to help manage pain, loss of appetite, and hot flashes associated with the treatment.

 

Alternative Medicine - Research

 

The National Center for Complementary and alternative medicine (NCCAM) is a federal agency that oversees research of medical practices that are not conventional. NCCAM aims to prove the safety and efficacy of many complementary and alternative medicine (or CAM) practices, but does not presume to replace the clinical expertise of a health care professional. NCCAM’s stated goal is to build a resource for conventional medical doctors who want to incorporate CAM’s into their holistic health practices.

 

Alternative Medicine is growing in popularity. A study published in Psychomatics journal last month stated that 43% of people diagnosed with anxiety disorders used some form of complementary or alternative medicine as a treatment.

 

Alternative Medicine is also sought when conventional medicine does not provide relief. For instance, Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy, sometimes called Becker Muscular Dystrophy, does not have a cure. In a study published this year in the Journal of Child Neurology, 80% of caregivers for children with Muscular Dystrophy said they had used alternative medicine. The most popular alternative medicine used for MD was Mind-Body medicine, used by 65% of caregivers.

 

A systematic review of 147 clinical trials and 5 non-randomized studies published in the current volume of Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine found that a group treated with CAMs had greater pain relief than the control group (which received no treatment). CAMs were also found to relieve pain better than physical therapy, a placebo, or traditional care.

 

Types of Alternative Medicine

 

Alternative medicine practices can be divided into alternative medicine systems, biological medicine, energy healing, manipulative therapies and mind-body healing.

 

Alternative medicine Systems are based on underlying medical philosophies about health and balance. alternative medicine systems include Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Naturopathy, and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

 

Biological Medicine uses products found in nature to encourage health and heal health problems. Biological medicine may use nutrition, dietary adjustments, supplements, and herbs.

 

Energy Healing works with the energy that flows through a human being as well as the energy force field surrounding each person. There are many practices that are considered energy healing, including prayer, laying-on-of-hands, Reiki, radionics, and magnetic therapy.

 

Manipulative therapies use physical manipulation of the musculoskeletal system to correct misalignments and promote health. Manipulative therapies include chiropractic, osteopathy, massage therapy, and physical therapy.

 

Mind Body Healing refers to any alternative medicine that addresses the mind and body as one entity rather than two separate forces. The condition of the thoughts can either help or harm the body, and the body’s condition can affect the patient’s thoughts and feelings, according to this philosophy. Mind body treatments may include hypnosis, guided imagery, mindfulness, progressive relaxation, yoga, tai-chi, Qi-gong, biofeedback, music therapy and meditation.