Use of alternative medicines in parasomnias for adults and children

Abstract

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practices are becoming attractive approaches for a variety of medical disorders. This is especially so with the rising concerns of adverse reactions from drugs. With over 18,000 CAM articles cited in PubMed, they are being more accepted and integrated into mainstream medicine. CAM approaches may offer safe and effective treatment as adjunct or stand-alone treatment. This chapter reviews CAM therapies that may be more frequently used for parasomnias: acupuncture, homeopathy, herbs and supplements, aromatherapy, and hypnosis. An explanation of what these modalities are, along with data on safety, potential use, and available evidence is summarized. There are very few clinical studies utilizing CAM therapies for parasomnias. However, the following observations can be made: Treatment of nocturnal enuresis has the most supportive evidence with clinical studies advocating the use of acupuncture, homeopathy (homotoxicology), and hypnosis. Overall, hypnosis proves to be the most versatile for treatment of parasomnias with clinical studies supporting its use in nocturnal enuresis, sleepwalking, night terrors, and nightmares. While other CAM approaches lack clinical studies to support their use in parasomnias, they may still prove useful in reducing stress and anxiety, which can be underlying factors in parasomnias.