Risky for Kids with Asthma?
If you’ve got a child with asthma[1], take caution when using alternative medicine. In a recent study[2] from the Canadian Respiratory Journal, researchers found that asthmatic children treated with alternative therapies were twice as likely to have poor asthma control (compared to kids not treated with alternative therapies).
For the study, more than 2,000 families with asthmatic children completed questionnaires about their strategies for asthma management. About 13 percent of parents reported using alternative therapies to treat their children’s asthma. The most commonly used alternative therapies included dietary supplements, homeopathy[3], and acupuncture[4].
In past research, a number of alternative therapies (such as omega-3 fatty acid supplements[5]) have been found to aid in asthma management. However, the recent study’s authors warn that use of alternative therapies may interfere with conventional asthma treatment (by causing harmful interactions with medication, for instance). If you’re considering the use of alternative medicine to control of your child’s asthma, make sure to consult his or her physician before beginning treatment.
