Doctors warn over children receiving holistic therapies

Doctors at St Bartholomew’s Hospital have warned of the dangers of giving children complementary therapies, after a four-year-old child ended up in A&E.

The child had been given 12 different holistic supplements from a natural health practitioner which were supposed to help treat his autism. However the child developed vitamin D toxicity which could have potentially been fatal.

Writing in the British Medical Journal Case Reports, Dr Catriona Boyd and Dr Abdul Moodambail warned that they did not find out about the child’s use of complimentary treatment until several days after he had been admitted to hospital.

Dr Moodambail warned: “The situation was stark because the child developed vitamin D toxicity leading to very high calcium levels, making the child quite unwell and this can even be fatal as well.”

He added: “This happens on many occasions with other patients as well,.

"Often the parents think that these supplements are natural, safe and do not cause any side effects or adverse effects, but this is not true in many cases like this."

“This is a common situation because there is no definite curative treatment in some of these long-term conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorder.

"When some complementary and alternative therapies are suggesting they can cure these situations, these parents get a hope - which is probably a false hope."

The report has recommended that it becomes routine practice to gather information about any complementary treatments being used as part of the history-taking process for all patients.

Jane Harris, director of external affairs at the National Autistic Society, said: "Most of us know very little about autism until it affects someone we love and it can be hard for individuals and their families to find good, reliable information about autism.

"This leaves many families feeling vulnerable and in desperation - some may consider using unproven and potentially harmful alternative therapies.

"This awful case shows we need more professionals in place to give families accurate advice and talk to them about what really helps and how to find the right support.

"It's crucial that doctors and healthcare professionals take the concerns of families seriously and are able to talk through the potential risks of alternative therapies, even when they might seem harmless."