Complementary and alternative medicine practices used by families inasthmatic children

Aim: In this study, we aimed to examine the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in children with asthma. Material and Methods: This is a descriptive type of study. The study included all patients aged 2-17 years who visited to the Pediatric Allergy and Immunology Department of a tertiary hospital in Istanbul between May and July 2022 with asthma diagnosis. Age, duration of asthma diagnosis, use of complementary and alternative therapies of the patients were asked. Results: Pediatric patients (n=115) with asthma were evaluated. All families used at least one CAM. Of the children, 72.2% (n=83) used multiple CAM product. While the percentage of those who used one of the CAM products was 27.8% (n=32), 6.1% (n=7) of the families used five different CAMs. The most frequently used CAM was honey with a percentage of 67.0% (n=77). Honey was followed by carob molasses (n=29, 25.2%), ginger (n=29, 25.2%), black seed oil (n=20, 17.4%) and lemon (n=20, 17.4%). Only three (2.6%) parents stated that they had heard about CAM from their doctor. The duration of asthma diagnosis was statistically significantly longer in children using multiple products (p=0.017). Discussion: In our study, the percentage of multiple CAM products usage among children with asthma was high. However, very few parents have used CAM on doctor's advice. Further studies on the reasons for CAM use, CAM side effects and benefits should be planned.