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Kids PlayingThe demand for Alternative Medicine in pediatrics has increased tremendously in recent years. Approximately 20% - 40% of healthy children and more than 50% of children with chronic, recurrent and incurable conditions use alternative therapies, almost always in conjunction with mainstream care. This is known as complementary medicine.

The techniques used in CAM are mostly less invasive.

People may also use complementary and alternative medicine when they're not sick. Because many people believe that CAM techniques — such as yoga — can improve overall well being, healthy people often use alternative medicine to try to prevent illness or to ensure a healthier lifestyle.

Just as there are many fields in conventional medicine, CAM covers many different practices. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), groups CAM practices into four areas: *

  • Biologically based practices involve supplementing a person's normal diet with additional nutrients, herbs, extracts, and certain foods. If you've ever taken a vitamin or herbal supplement, you've followed a biologically based practice..
  • Manipulative and body-based therapies focus on the body's various systems and structures. If you've ever seen a chiropractor or had a massage, you've been treated with manipulative therapy.
  • Mind-body interventions use the connection between a person's mind, body, and spirit to enhance total well being. Mind-body techniques include meditation, yoga, and biofeedback.
  • Energy therapies are meant to restore disturbances in the body's natural energy. Energy therapies include such practices as Qi gong and Reiki.

In addition to these four different practices, CAM includes several whole medical systems. These alternative medical systems are entire systems of theory and practice, and many date back earlier than the conventional medicine we use in the West today. Examples of alternative medical systems include Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, homeopathic medicine, and naturopathic medicine.
* The National Institute of Health (NIH)