Integrative Medicine for Children

Increasingly patients and their parents are tur ning t o c o m p l e m e n t a r y a n d alternative medicines (CAM). A s p a e d i a t r i c i a n s , C A M practitioners and indeed parents ourselves we need to understand these therapies to take a full medical history, considering merits and potential adverse effects of CAM, in order to offer an educated opinion to our patients. Many books exist dealing with individual therapies but this reference book aims to symbiotically blend conventional medical diagnosis and treatment with all of the major CAM. The author is Clinical Professor of Paediatrics and Anaesthesiology in Stanford, California while the 32 contributors and consultants have backgrounds as diverse as Professor of Pharmacy, Attending Physician in Neurology, Clinical Nurse Specialist from a Paediatric Integrative Medicine Program to Chinese Herbal Consultants. The first section of the book presents the history, theory, current evidence-based information, applications and contra-indications of CAM. The chapters are nicely written, informative and well researched, although my own personal, scientific and religious bias made some modalities such as past life regression and Qigong, magnet or energy medicines difficult to comprehend. Conventional medicine would clearly benefit from the increased time, thoroughness and breadth of the clinical history taking in all the modalities. Of interest the principles of naturopathic medicine " primum non nocere " : first do no harm, " tolle totum " : treat the whole person, " docere " : doctor as teacher and " prevenir " : prevention with adoption of a healthy lifestyle show clear parallels to the Hippocratic oath. Unbiased comprehensive reference lists including recent papers from high impact medical journals (New England Journal of Medicine, Archives of Disease in Childhood and Lancet to name a few), an occasional Cochrane collaborative review, as well as larger texts for further study were impressive, with links to a few reputable regularly updated websites. Illustrations and tables range from body maps of acupuncture points, massage endangerment sites, tables of vitamin and mineral toxicity or deficiencies and botanical agents to be used in caution with children or lactating mothers. The second section is a focused reference for 55 acute and chronic paediatric conditions with such random complaints as asthma, cancer, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, fifth disease, inflammatory bowel disease, umbilical hernia and urinary tract infections. The …