More Parents Seek Chiropractic for Kids' Chronic Conditions
As a parent, there is no worse feeling than seeing your child in pain and not being able to do anything about it. Perhaps you're concerned about the side effects of the medications or maybe even these traditional approaches to pain management haven't helped. Recent research suggests that more parents of children with chronic neurological conditions turning to chiropractic and other complementary and alternative therapy treatments to help their children live a normal, pain-free life.
Canadian Study Results
In one study of pediatric patients at Stollery Children's Hospital in Edmonton, Canada, and Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, researchers looked at over 200 surveys completed regarding both male and female patients with an average age of almost 10 years old. The diagnosis of the patients ranged from epilepsy to headaches to cerebral palsy.
They found that around 60% of the parents had sought some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The most prevalent CAM methods tried were massage and chiropractic care, and multi-vitamins were the most used CAM products.
In the surveys reviewed, most participants reported that they found good health benefits with CAM and appreciated the minimal or completely non-existent side effects. They also pointed out that if you do choose to use CAM products, it is always best to disclose this to your practitioner (such as when taking multi-vitamins that may interact with a prescription).
In a prior study involving the same two hospitals, researchers reviewed 939 questionnaires completed by parents who had children with chronic illnesses there for treatment. Just as before, the parents also highly agreed that CAM products and treatments such as chiropractic care were used quite often and very effective when dealing with children who suffered with chronic conditions. The ones mentioned in the study were disorders relating to cardiology, gastroenterology, neurology, oncology, or respiratory issues.
Better Communication Equals Better Results
Both of these studies point out the benefits of using complementary and alternative medicine like chiropractic care when helping a little one deal with their chronic illness. It offers an alternative that doesn't create negative side effects and focuses on total body health, making it perfect for children with chronic illnesses.
References
Galicia-Connolly E, et al. CAM Use in Pediatric Neurology: An Exploration of Concurrent Use with Conventional Medicine. PLoS One. 2014; 9(4).
Adams D, et al. Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use by Pediatric Specialty Outpatients. Pediatrics 2013; 131; 225.
