Embargoed Until: May 4, 1999
Contact: Cheryl U. Leamon, 202-884-4500
Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicines on the Rise Over 20% of Children Receiving Traditional Health Care in the Washington D.C. Area Also Use Complementary and Alternative Medicines
Washington, D.C. (April 20, 1999) * Most parents surveyed in a study done in the Washington, D.C. area were satisfied with the care they have been receiving at the pediatrician's office, however many are turning to complementary and alternative medicines to help heal a sick child. In a study presented to the Pediatric Academic Society, Dr. Mary Ottolini, Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., found that over 20 percent of parents who receive traditional health care have also used complementary and alternative medications for their children.
Dr. Ottolini, Cynthia Brasseux, Dr. Sachs, Dr. Coleman, Dr. Madden CNMC, and Ellie Hamburger, M.D., George Washington University Department of Pediatrics and Dr. Joseph Loprieato, National Naval Medical Center surveyed parents in four different primary care practices in the Washington, D.C. area. Almost all of the parents surveyed were high school graduates, however those surveyed were not statistically different based on their socioeconomic status or ethnicity.
"We decided to do this study because no one had looked into the use of complementary and alternative medications in children before," said Dr. Ottolini. "Unlike studies reported of adults who used alternative medicine, where users tended to be upper middle class, we found that there was no difference in alternative medicine use based upon the child's ethnic background or parent's socioeconomic status."
The most common types of alternative medicines used were vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal remedies. The most common reasons for using them were frequent respiratory infections, asthma, headaches, and nose bleeds.
"One of the most important findings of this study was that the majority of parents who use alternative medicines did not tell their pediatricians about it," said Dr. Ottolini. "While most vitamins and nutritional supplements will not react negatively with traditional medicines, some herbal remedies can cause serious reactions."
Children's National Medical Center is a private non-profit medical and research facility that provides a complete range of pediatric care to local, national and international patients.
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