Research and anecdotal evidence support the efficacy of many complementary treatments, but there are, as yet, no definitive findings to substantiate such claims. Many parents and GPs can identify the value of various alternative therapies in the treatment of childhood ailments such as coughs and colds, sore throats and viral infections. He was suffering serious attacks every few months and needed steroid medication. The clinic's osteopath helped him to relax his chest muscles and retrain his breathing to an extent that the child now no longer needs his steroid inhaler and has been attack-free for the past six months. Osteopathy, which corrects problems of the skeleton and muscles, is not the only therapy thought to be effective on children.
Baby massage is also increasingly popular, and is used to help infants sleep and feed better.
Paediatric research has shown that premature infants progress more quickly when massaged regularly. Many children's complaints, such as colds, stomach aches, and eye, ear and skin problems, can be successfully treated using homeopathic remedies, many of which are administered in the form of tiny dissolving tablets or small drops of liquids placed on the tongue, both of which are easier for youngsters to deal with than swallowing conventional pills. In fact, says Jayne Goddard of the Complementary Medical Association, most alternative therapies, if used judiciously, are extremely suitable for children, as they are both humane and often pleasurable. Acupuncture, for example, might scare the wits out of a needle-phobic child, she says, so, whatever therapy you might be considering, it's worth bearing in mind never to force a child into a therapy with which they do not feel comfortable. However, some children may thrive on acupuncture and acupressure, both of which have worked very well for treating respiratory, stomach and skin problems, so don't necessarily rule any treatment out of hand.