YOUR CHILD’S HEALTH CARE/GOING TO HOSPITAL: ALTERNATIVE PRACTITIONERS
There are -a number of other practitioners who sometimes see children. These include homeopaths, osteopaths, naturopaths, iridologists, and other proponents of ‘natural therapies’. These are areas considered to be outside the mainstream of medicine. Most doctors and many other professionals argue that the theory and practice of many of these areas have no scientific validity, and that they are potentially dangerous in that they postpone the early diagnosis and effective treatment of serious illness.
Often parents take their children to alternative practitioners because they do not like the idea of giving medicines to their children — these are seen somehow as ‘poisoning’ the body, or weakening the immune system. This is quite false. While in a number of minor conditions, such as colds medications are unnecessary and are sometimes prescribed too freely, in other conditions they are lifesaving. When your doctor suggests medications, if you have some reservations about their use, speak to the doctor about them.
While we do not wish to comment on the benefits of alternative treatments for adults, we would recommend strongly against parents taking children to alternative practitioners. While in many cases prescribed remedies are harmless, there have been too many cases of incorrect diagnosis and wrong treatment. This has the potential for tragic consequences, and is best avoided. Find yourself (and especially your child) a good GP to look after day to day illnesses. Your doctor will also be able to refer your child to experts in child health if the need arises.
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