Parents warned that using complementary and alternative medicine on children can kill

Parents are being warned that using complementary medicines on their children can have fatal results.

Complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) are considered by parents to be “natural” and unlikely to have harmful side effects.

But doctor Alissa Lim, at the Department of General Medicine, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia has published research online in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, proving they have been responsible for the death of children.

Researchers found 46 cases between 2001 and 2003 where CAM had caused problems with children.

Four of these cases resulted in the death of a child.

CAM was found to be used by parents in the treatment of a wide range of conditions in children aged from birth to 16 including: constipation, clotting disorders, diabetes and even cerebral palsy.

A 64 per cent of cases were rated as ‘severe, life threatening or fatal,’ with the four deaths attributed to the parents swapping the conventional treatment given by their doctor to CAMs.

Allergic reaction, seizures, stunted growth and bleeding were some of the reported reactions.

Two of the deaths came as a result of overdoses.

An eight month old child died from malnutrition and septic shock having been fed a naturopathic rice mild diet from the age of three months.

A ten month old child also died from septic shock having been treated for chronic eczema with homoeopathy and a restricted diet.