The survey, conducted by Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, assessed parents' attitudes about various approaches to treating a child's illnesses. Integrative medicine combines the best conventional medical therapies like drugs, chemotherapy and surgery, with complementary therapies like massage, acupuncture and proper nutrition.
The survey showed parents are concerned about the overuse of prescription medications with their children; 85% feel it's important to minimize a child's dependence on drugs, especially for behavioral issues like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or anxiety. Complementary and alternative approaches can be a solution to this concern as more natural treatments are being found to be effective in the management of a variety of children's health concerns.
Parents also feel strongly about eliminating their child's pain and improving quality of life; almost 90% feel both these factors are as important as treating their child's condition.
"Many children with chronic or acute health conditions seek a complementary or integrative approach only after they have exhausted all other conventional treatment options," said Timothy Culbert, MD, medical director of Pediatric Integrative Medicine Clinical Programs at Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. "Parents should be aware that integrative medicine can be helpful from the onset of disease and can save time, money and most importantly, improve a child's quality of life. This is true for all kinds of conditions including acute illnesses like cancer or chronic problems like migraines or behavioral issues."
Other findings include: 68% of parents agreed integrative medicine was an effective treatment approach; more than three-fourths of parents agree combining conventional and complementary/alternative approaches to medicine is innovative and that hospitals should offer medical experts on both conventional and complementary/alternative therapies; and almost two-thirds of parents who have children with serious health issues had never considered an integrative approach because they are unfamiliar with the subject.
The survey of 1003 parents included 203 parents with kids who have serious, chronic or acute health problems. This subset of parents had somewhat more knowledge of integrative medicine (42%), but even these parents are not hearing about the benefits an integrative approach can bring their child. Of the parents that have used integrative medicine as part of their child's treatment, 95% had a positive experience.