Evaluation of a guideline for supportive anthroposophic therapies for hospitalised children with acute gastroenteritis - A prospective case series study.

Objective: Even though several German children's hospitals offer integrative, anthroposophic medical therapies in addition to the standard medical care, guidelines for these anthroposophic therapies are still rare. Therefore, we investigated the feasibility of implementing a published, consensus-based guideline for the treatment of children with acute gastroenteritis (aGE) with anthroposophic therapies in the community hospital Herdecke.

Design: A prospective case series of paediatric patients (≤18 years) with an aGE admitted to the department of integrative paediatrics of the community hospital Herdecke was conducted.

Pediatric oncologists' perspectives on the use of complementary medicine in pediatric cancer patients in Switzerland: A national survey-based cross-sectional study.

Background: There is a widespread use of complementary therapies among pediatric cancer patients. Previous studies provided evidence that communication between pediatric oncologists (POs) and patients/families about the use of these therapies is often incomplete. Furthermore, nationwide studies on this topic are rare.

Expert consensus-based clinical recommendation for an integrative anthroposophic treatment of acute bronchitis in children: A Delphi survey.

Background: Acute bronchitis is one of the most common pediatric diseases. In addition to conventional therapies, a frequent use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has been stated. Anthroposophic medicine (AM) is one of the most practiced complementary and integrative medicine (CIM) approaches in Central Europe but hitherto no consensus-based clinical recommendations or guidelines are available.

[Präklinische Untersuchungen von Wechselwirkungen zwischen Mistel und Radio- oder Chemotherapie auf pädiatrische Tumorzellen].

Unlabelled: Hintergrund: Mistelanwendungen werden als komplementäre Therapien häufig in der pädiatrischen Onkologie zusammen mit einer Radio- oder Chemotherapie verabreicht. Wechselwirkungen bei simultaner Applikation sind gerade in der Pädiatrie von großer Bedeutung, sie sind allerdings nach wie vor unzureichend untersucht. Material und Methoden: Zytotoxische Effekte des Mistelextraktes abnobaVISCUM Fraxini (aVF) auf LAN-1 Neuroblastomzellen und deren Etoposid- bzw.

Antitumoral Effects of Curcumin (Curcuma longa L.) and Thymoquinone (Nigella sativa L.) on Neuroblastoma Cell Lines.

Introduction: Overall survival of high-risk neuroblastoma patients is still poor, emphasizing the need for novel therapeutic options. There is evidence for anti-cancer properties of the herbal substances thymoquinone and curcumin. These substances are isolated from Nigella sativa L.

Comparative analysis of resource utilization in integrative anthroposophic and all German pediatric inpatient departments.

Background: Integrative Medicine (IM) combines conventional and complementary therapies. It aims to address biological, psychological, social, spiritual and environmental aspects of patients' health. During the past 20 years, the use and request of IM in children and adults has grown.

Anticancer Effects of Viscum album Fraxini Extract on Medulloblastoma Cells in vitro.

Background: Mistletoe therapy is frequently administered as a supportive treatment in diverse pediatric cancer entities including brain tumors. Medulloblastoma is the most common brain tumor in childhood. Its high risk to metastasize and its long-term sequelae caused by aggressive chemo- or radiotherapies are still challenging.

Safety of high-dose intravenous mistletoe therapy in pediatric cancer patients: A case series.

Background: Long-term survival of children with cancer has reached rates of up to 80%. Nevertheless, continued research devoted to further improvement of survival rates especially for patients with high-risk illnesses is necessary. Recent studies have shown direct positive effects on tumor reduction through Viscum album (mistletoe) extracts in adults, mainly as a result of higher dosage treatment and intravenous or intratumoral application.

Anthroposophic medicine in the treatment of pediatric pseudocroup: A systematic review.

Background: In Europe only few integrative pediatric wards exists and there are two German hospitals focusing on anthroposophic medicine as part of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Whilst the most common pediatric diseases are treated here, pseudocroup patients make up a large group in these hospitals, receiving conventional as well as anthroposophic therapies. However, effectiveness of these therapy concepts mostly based on physicians' experiences but clinical studies are hitherto missing.

[Management of Acute Gastroenteritis in Children: A Systematic Review of Anthroposophic Therapies].

Background: Acute gastroenteritis in children accounts for about 10% of hospital admissions and is still one of the major causes of death worldwide. As many children are treated with complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and anthroposophic medicine, respectively, especially in Europe, the aim of this review was to descriptively present published anthroposophic therapies applied for the treatment of acute gastroenteritis in childhood.

Methods: A complex search strategy recording a broad spectrum of CAM therapies was developed to identify anthroposophic therapy options for the treatment of gastroenteritis in children.

Contributing factors and outcomes of treatment refusal in pediatric oncology in Germany.

Background: In Germany, about 1,800 new cases of pediatric cancer under 15 years of age are diagnosed each year and survival rates approach 80%. Although treatment is covered by health insurance and is thus available for all patients at no cost, treatment refusal and treatment discontinuation have been observed. However, no data providing numbers and outcomes for developed countries have been published thus far.

Use of complementary and alternative medicine by pediatric oncology patients during palliative care.

Purpose: Although the popularity of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has risen in the last decade, information about its use by pediatric patients in palliative care is still scarce. The purpose of the study was to assess the frequency and types of CAM administered by parents with children suffering from cancer during the palliative phase.

Methods: All parents who lost their child due to cancer in the federal state North Rhine Westfalia/Germany were eligible for the study.

Complementary and alternative medicine in pediatrics in Turkey.

Background: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is applied both to children and adults widely throughout the world. A previous pan-European survey showed a surprisingly high CAM-use in Turkish children. This review aimed to survey information on the use of CAM in pediatrics in Turkey.

Medicinal systems of complementary and alternative medicine: a cross-sectional survey at a pediatric emergency department.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to find out which experiences adults are making while treating children with complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies in German-speaking Switzerland.

Design And Subjects: A cross-sectional survey was performed on adults accompanying the children presenting to an urban, tertiary pediatric emergency department in Zurich; 71% of the distributed questionnaires (1143 of 1600) could be used for data analysis. The respondents were asked about their experiences while treating the child with CAM and--for comparison reasons--with conventional medicine (CM).

Accidental intakes of remedies from complementary and alternative medicine in children--analysis of data from the Swiss Toxicological Information Centre.

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in Switzerland is rather high, and therefore, the occurrence of accidental intakes of CAM remedies by children and associated intoxications is to be expected. In the present study, the inquiries to the Swiss Toxicological Information Centre that took place from 1998 until 2007 and concerned accidental, unintended intakes of CAM remedies by children were analysed. Inquiries for information were performed by concerned care-givers, physicians, pharmacists and others in case of acute accidental intake of CAM remedies.

Attitudes towards vaccination: users of complementary and alternative medicine versus non-users.

Principles: Children whose parents use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) often show a lower rate of vaccination than those of parents favouring conventional medicine. We have investigated whether this applies to the paediatric patients presenting to an emergency department in German-speaking Switzerland, where popularity of CAM is rather high.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was performed of paediatric patients presenting to an urban, tertiary paediatric emergency department.

Use of complementary and alternative medicine by patients presenting to a Paediatric Emergency Department.

Although the popularity of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has risen in the last decade, information about its use by paediatric patients presenting to an Emergency Department is still sparse. We report here the results of a cross-sectional survey of paediatric patients presenting to an urban, tertiary paediatric Emergency Department between October 2006 and March 2007. In total, 1143 questionnaires (68% of those distributed) were completed and available for analysis.