Complementary and alternative medicine for children:: does it work? (Reprinted from Arch Dis Child, vol 84, pg 6-9, 2001)

Pediatric use of CAM therapies is common and increasing, particularly for the sickest children. To answer the question of whether such therapies work, it is essential that pediatricians systematically elicit families' goals and expectations of treatment, be aware of the range of therapies used, be systematic and specific when asking about them, and be aware of the complex interplay among scientific evidence and market forces governing availability of and payment for CAM therapies. These are the elements, not just of complementary or alternative care, but of good pediatric care in the modern era.