Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use by Children With Pain in the United States

Abstract

Objective Chronic pain is reported by 15–25% of children. Growing evidence from clinical samples suggests that complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies are desired by families and may benefit some children with pain conditions. The objective of this study is to provide estimates of CAM use by children with pain in the United States. Methods We analyzed data from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) to estimate patterns, predictors, and perceived benefits of CAM use among children 4–17 years of age with and without painful conditions in the US. We used χ2 tests to compare the prevalence rates of CAM use among children with pain to CAM use among children without pain. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine factors associated with CAM use within the group of children with pain conditions. Results Parents reported that 26.6% of children had pain conditions (e.g. headache, abdominal, musculoskeletal pain) in the past year; of these children, 21.3% used CAM. In contrast only 8.1% of children without pain conditions used CAM (χ2: p<.001). CAM use among children with pain was associated with female sex (adjusted odds ratio (aOR)=1.49, p=0.005), higher income (aOR=1.61, p=0.027), and presence of 4+ comorbidities (aOR=2.01, p=0.013). Among children with pain who used CAM the 2 most commonly used CAM modalities were biologically-based therapies (47.3%) (e.g., special diets and herbal supplements) and manipulative or body-based therapies (46.3%) (e.g., chiropractic and massage). Conclusions CAM is frequently used by children with pain in the USA and many parents report benefits for their child’s symptoms.

Employing Evidence in Evaluating Complementary Therapies: Findings from an Ethnography of Integrative Pain Management at a Large Urban Pediatric Hospital

“…Appendix 1: Interview Guide for Caregivers and Children aged [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] Open-ended interviews were conducted in patient's rooms. The following guide was adjusted to suit the flow of the conversation, with additional questions added or removed as needed.…”

“…10 Among children with pain, 21% use CAM annually. 11 CIM approaches are increasingly being recognized as both efficacious and effective treatments for pain for both children and adults, 2,[12][13][14] leading major medical associations to recommend the incorporation of nonpharmacologic pain management strategies, 15 and the joint commission to now require that these services be made available. 16 Medical hypnosis, music therapy, and acupuncture are particularly noteworthy in terms of their clinical benefit and safety profiles for controlling and treating pain.…”

Investigation of Knowledge and Attitudes of Pediatric Nurses Toward Traditional and Complementary Medicine Practices

“…Masajın ebeveynler veya masaj terapistleri olduğu kadar hemşireler tarafından da klinik ortamlarda sıkça kullanılan yaygın manipülatör uygulamalardan biri olduğu, uykusuzluk, ağrı gibi semptomların hafifletilmesinde kullanıldığı gösterilmiştir. [23][24][25] Hasta çocuk ve ailesi ile bire bir iletişim hâlinde olan hemşirelerin, geleneksel ve tamamlayıcı tıp uygulamalarına yönelik olumsuz tutumları veya bilgi eksikliklerinin ailelerin yanlış yönlendirilmesine neden olabileceği ve yüksek kalitede bakım verme durumunu etkileyebileceği bildirilmektedir. 22 Bu çalışmada, Geleneksel Tamamlayıcı Tıp Tutum Ölçeği puan ortalamaları, ölçek ortalama değerinin üzerinde olduğundan, pediatri hemşirelerinin tutumları olumlu olarak değerlendirilmiştir.…”

Chronic opioid use and clinical outcomes in lung transplant recipients: A single‐center cohort study

“…In the general population, the mainstay of chronic pain treatment has been pharmaceutical therapy. Recent work in this area has emphasized the biopsychosocial model that incorporates psychologic and complementary and alternative medicine interventions to pain management using a multidisciplinary approach . However, the complexity of pain in transplant patients may influence physicians to select opioids as a first‐line therapy.…”

“…Recent work in this area has emphasized the biopsychosocial model that incorporates psychologic and complementary and alternative medicine interventions to pain management using a multidisciplinary approach. [15][16][17][18] However, the complexity of pain in transplant patients may influence physicians to select opioids as a firstline therapy. The analgesic effect of opioid therapy has been extensively documented.…”