The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in children--ignore at our peril.

It is indeed a challenge to precisely define the term ‘complimentary and alternative medicine‘ or CAM. The National Institute of Health in the United States defines CAM as: ‘Complementary and Alternative medicine is a broad domain of resources that encompasses health systems, modalities and practices and their accompanying theories and beliefs, other than those intrinsic to the dominant health system of a particular society or culture in a given historical period. 1 It may include cures and remedies perceived by their users as associated with positive health outcomes. What is clear, however, is that CAM therapies are used frequently for children and families may choose CAM for a variety of reasons including the perception the CAM therapies are more in their own control, because they see them on supermarket shelves and do not see them as different to prescribed therapies or if they wish to try an alternative where they feel that mainstream medicine has somehow failed them. Despite this trend of increased CAM use, many doctors are largely uninterested in the topic and often cannot give informed advice when families do raise the issue.