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Gastroesophageal Reflux in Children pp 293–301Cite as

GER and Complementary Medicine

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Abstract

Complementary and alternative medicine includes practices that are not an integral part of the conventional healthcare system but are used by therapists and patients to supplement their patient’s care. The use of complementary and alternative medicine is increasing worldwide for treatment of different acute and chronic diseases including gastroesophageal reflux disease. Even 40% of parents of pediatric gastroenterology patients are using some form of complementary and alternative therapy for their child. Complementary and alternative medicine is especially used in children in whom conventional treatment has failed. In addition, school absenteeism and the occurrence of adverse effects of medication are also important predictors of using these therapies. In this chapter, we will discuss traditional Chinese medicine (acupuncture), herbals and botanicals, and mind-body therapy including breathing exercises and massage therapy. Although interest in using complementary and alternative medicine use is increasing, there is a lack of randomized controlled trials investigating its efficacy and safety in children with gastroesophageal reflux disease. Therefore, well-designed studies in this vulnerable group of children are necessary in order to determine efficacy and safety of these different treatment modalities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Paediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Emma Children’s Hospital AMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    H. S. van der Heijden & M. M. Tabbers

Authors
  1. H. S. van der Heijden
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  2. M. M. Tabbers
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Correspondence to M. M. Tabbers .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Kidz Health Castle, Brussels, Belgium

    Yvan Vandenplas

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van der Heijden, H.S., Tabbers, M.M. (2017). GER and Complementary Medicine. In: Vandenplas, Y. (eds) Gastroesophageal Reflux in Children. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60678-1_21

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60678-1_21

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-60677-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-60678-1

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