Patterns of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use in Children with Common Neurological Conditions

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Recent literature suggests that one in nine children in the United States uses some type of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Children with challenging neurological conditions such as headache, migraine, and seizures may seek CAM in their attempts at self-care. Our objective was to describe CAM use in children with these conditions.METHODS: We compared use of CAM among children aged 3 to 17 years with and without common neurological conditions (headaches, migraines, seizures) where CAM might plausibly play a role in their self-management using the 2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data.RESULTS: Children with common neurological conditions reported significantly more CAM use compared to the children without these conditions (24.0% vs 12.6%, P