Page 56 - Time Special Edition Alternative Medicine (January 2020)
P. 56
ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE NATURAL HEALING
plementary health product or practice in the pre- been discharged from a hospitalization. So we used
vious year. In children living with chronic illness, it in conjunction with other treatment and found
including asthma, ADHD and migraines, the num- that combining all those things together has the best
ber increased to more than 50%. Among the most results,” McDowell says.
common treatments were herbal medicines and pro- The program draws not only from yoga but also
biotics, osteopathic or chiropractic manipulation, from various techniques based on sensory check-
and yoga, tai chi or qigong. ins. “It helps establish the mind-body connection
Interest in the field of pediatric integrative med- and grounding,” she says. “What we have found is
icine has increased as parents and physicians seek that a lot of kids with anxiety or emotional dysregu-
out options when treating children with chronic ill- lation do very well with sensory activities. It helps
ness; there is the desire to reduce frequency and calm everything down. It doesn’t necessarily fix
duration of pediatric prescription medication use, the problem, but it helps them regulate enough to
and there’s a need for more effective approaches to a point that they can get through it.” They are also
preventive health in children. The NCCIH’s mission, given homework to consistently practice the tech-
after all, applies to children as well as adults. niques throughout the week, while they are calm
But what does this look like in practice? At and not in crisis. The goal is to make it their “new
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, norm.” As McDowell notes, “We have kids that have
Tenn., researchers are exploring the use of virtual said, ‘I was at school and was in a large crowd and
reality as a “distraction technique” for children and started to panic, but I was able to use deep breath-
teens suffering from the painful episodes of sickle ing or pull out a sensory item that was really helpful
cell disease. As part of an ongoing study, the hospi- to me.’ They’ve figured out beforehand what works,
tal has partnered with the Methodist Comprehen- and then they can use it in the moment.”
sive Sickle Cell Center to study the use of immersive The program has produced measurable results.
virtual-reality sessions—exploring an ocean habi- Kids reported a 24% reduction in anxiety, and par-
tat while swimming alongside tropical fish, friendly ents reported a 29% reduction in their child’s anxiety
seals and dolphins, for example—as a complement upon completion of the group sessions. “We’ve re-
to the pain meds. While receiving IV medications, ally found that mindfulness is so beneficial no matter
patients enter an interactive 360-degree underwa- what we’re dealing with, no matter the diagnosis—
ter world where they can launch multicolored bub- even physical diagnoses,” McDowell says.
bles at passing marine life and other objects such In 2017, the American Academy of Pediatrics
as treasure chests. It is an opportunity, explains (AAP) updated its statement on complementary
Doralina Anghelescu, director of the hospital’s pain- medicine. The organization noted that “consumer
management service, for St. Jude to “be on the front interest in and use of complementary therapies has
line and be a champion for this new concept of in- outpaced training options in pediatric integrative
tegrative medicine.” medicine, leaving pediatricians with a desire for
Treatments don’t need to be high-tech to make more training and familiarity with resources.” For
a difference. At Nationwide Children’s Hospital in example, a 2012 survey of academic pediatric train-
Columbus, Ohio, the behavioral-health group has ing programs revealed that only 16 of 143 programs
developed a complementary treatment for patients reported having an integrative-medicine program.
struggling with anxiety. For 90 minutes a week for In response to this gap, conventional pediatric res-
six weeks, “skill building” sessions teach children idency training is being expanded to include pedi-
sensory-based and mindfulness-based activities atric integrative medicine. One example is the Pe-
including mindful movement. Each session ends diatric Integrative Medicine in Residency program
with a guided meditation. “I’m a licensed profes- through the University of Arizona. Other teaching
sional clinical counselor, but I’m also a yoga instruc- initiatives are underway in medical schools affili-
tor, so I combined forces,” says Gina McDowell, a ated with the Academic Consortium for Integrative
behavioral-health clinical educator who developed Medicine and Health.
the program. Most of the participants also met “It’s important for conventionally trained doc-
weekly with their assigned therapist or psychiatrist; tors to have an understanding,” says Joy Weydert, of
some were on medication. “A lot of these kids had the AAP’s Section on Integrative Medicine. “Rather
52
