Good morning!

Have you ever wanted to talk with your child’s doctor about an alternative medical treatment, but feared their disapproval?

Some strategies are more likely than others to result in the doctor’s cooperation.

It's essential to understand how Western medical providers think if you want either their input or their approval of an alternative therapy.

Doctors are trained to focus on treatments that have been proven safe and effective in scientific studies.

Here are some common reasons why parents end up sideways with their child's doctor when discussing alternative therapies:

• Their child has not received or tried any of the most effective treatments recommended by the medical field.

• They assume that all treatments with some research evidence are equally effective or that alternative therapies are better, safer, or more "natural" than medical therapies.

• They heard about an alternative therapy but didn't look for scientific articles in a respected magazine or medical journal.

In the following steps, I'll explain some strategies for having the most effective discussion with your doctor about alternative therapies.

Step 1: Consider whether you have followed your doctor's advice if they recommended an evidence-based approach. 🤔

Treatments deemed safe and effective by the medical field often have far more research supporting their use than alternative therapies. Doctors typically first recommend treatments with the most evidence for being safe and effective.

Don't make the mistake of assuming that an alternative therapy is necessarily better. Many “natural” treatments can cause severe side effects. For instance, St. John's Wort can cause seizures, and echinacea and kava kava can cause liver failure.

If you have not started by trying a recommendation from your child's doctor, this might be the first place to start.

Step 2: Find the source of information on the alternative therapy and investigate it!

When you want to discuss an alternative therapy, you might find that your doctor does not know about it. They also frequently do not have time to investigate the available clinical evidence for alternative treatments.

When discussing an alternative treatment with your child's doctor, come prepared with one or two research articles from respected medical journals demonstrating safety and efficacy.

Articles from nonscientific journals or general references, such as "I heard that _______ alternative therapy is more effective than the standard treatment," are unlikely to convince a doctor or lead to a meaningful conversation.

Step 3: Ask your doctor at what point in care they would feel comfortable approving or recommending the alternative treatment you are interested in.

This is one of the most telling moments when working with your child's doctor. If they think a treatment is safe but likely ineffective, they might point out that an ineffective treatment could be harmful primarily because it delays effective treatment.

Your child's doctor might be more open if you have already tried one or more medical treatments that either were ineffective or poorly tolerated.

If your child's doctor states that they never would be comfortable with an alternative therapy that you've researched and are convinced would be safe and effective, it might be time for you to get a second opinion.

Recently in my clinical practice, a parent wanted to try an alternative therapy. They followed the above steps and provided me with a very compelling research article showing safety and efficacy.

Their child was struggling, and medical treatments were having a paradoxical (the opposite of intended) effect. The alternative therapy was available over the counter (OTC) and as a prescription. I not only felt comfortable approving the therapy, I sent a prescription to the pharmacy to initiate treatment. By the way, the child had a fantastic response.

By following the steps above, you are far more likely to have a productive conversation with your child's doctor. You'll feel better heard and more aligned as partners in the care of your child, and hopefully, your child will do great as a result!

Warmest regards,

Len

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