Version 1
: Received: 10 May 2024 / Approved: 11 May 2024 / Online: 13 May 2024 (08:09:36 CEST)
How to cite:
Romero-García, P. A.; Ramirez-Perez, S.; Miguel-González, J. J.; Guzman-Silahua, S.; Castañeda-Moreno, J. A.; Komninou, S.; Rodríguez-Lara, S. Q. Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Practices: Elucidating the Impact on Healthcare Systems, Mechanisms, and Paediatric Applications.. Preprints2024, 2024050742. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202405.0742.v1
Romero-García, P. A.; Ramirez-Perez, S.; Miguel-González, J. J.; Guzman-Silahua, S.; Castañeda-Moreno, J. A.; Komninou, S.; Rodríguez-Lara, S. Q. Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Practices: Elucidating the Impact on Healthcare Systems, Mechanisms, and Paediatric Applications.. Preprints 2024, 2024050742. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202405.0742.v1
Romero-García, P. A.; Ramirez-Perez, S.; Miguel-González, J. J.; Guzman-Silahua, S.; Castañeda-Moreno, J. A.; Komninou, S.; Rodríguez-Lara, S. Q. Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Practices: Elucidating the Impact on Healthcare Systems, Mechanisms, and Paediatric Applications.. Preprints2024, 2024050742. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202405.0742.v1
APA Style
Romero-García, P. A., Ramirez-Perez, S., Miguel-González, J. J., Guzman-Silahua, S., Castañeda-Moreno, J. A., Komninou, S., & Rodríguez-Lara, S. Q. (2024). Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Practices: Elucidating the Impact on Healthcare Systems, Mechanisms, and Paediatric Applications.. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202405.0742.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Romero-García, P. A., Sophia Komninou and Simón Quetzalcoatl Rodríguez-Lara. 2024 "Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Practices: Elucidating the Impact on Healthcare Systems, Mechanisms, and Paediatric Applications." Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202405.0742.v1
Abstract
There is a growing body of research exploring Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) for the overall population; however, few studies have examined the effectiveness and applications of CAM practices in the paediatric population. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), parent's prevalence using CAM in their dependents is estimated to be as high as 80%. This literature review identified broad, heterogeneous, and inconclusive evidence regarding CAM applications and effectiveness caused mainly by variances in sociodemographic factors and national healthcare systems differences. Additionally, a lack of consensus and polarised positions among mainstream professionals regarding the CAM mechanism of action, applications, and effectiveness were identified. This narrative review shows debatable results for most CAM therapies and their applications. However, some evidence suggests that acupuncture, Yoga, Tai Chi, and massage might benefit users' physical and mental health. Additionally, meditation's available evidence indicates that it might be only helpful in the enhancement of mental health, whereas Reiki only displays an effect on patients' perceptions of comfort. Lastly, herbal medicine was observed to have non-specific evidence to support its claim, given the diverse nature and complexity of herbal compounds and procedures. This comprehensive narrative review might offer health professionals a reference to guide their health practices towards a personalised approach, taking into account the patient's values and beliefs, both important aspects of integrated, evidence-based practice, aiming to improve the quality of the offered health services and patients' satisfaction.
Keywords
Complementary and Alternative Medicine; Paediatric Health; Traditional Medicine; well-being; physiological; physical; mental health; Nutritional; psychological
Subject
Public Health and Healthcare, Public Health and Health Services
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
,
,
,
,
,
,
*
