Children and teens are more likely to use complementary and alternative medicine if their parents also use the therapies, according to new research.

A 1997 study found that 42 percent of American adults reported the use of these types of therapies — and the rates were increasing. But, up till now, there’s been little information on the popularity of these treatments among children and teens.

Researchers at Metropolitan State University in Minneapolis analyzed 2002 claims data from two large private health insurers in Washington state.

Of more than 187,000 insured children, nearly 157,000 were listed on insurance claims. According to the researchers, just over 6 percent had visited a complementary or alternative medicine professional during that year.

“Not surprisingly, the most significant factor that determined whether a pediatric patient would use complementary or alternative medicine is whether an adult in the family used [it],” the investigators noted. In fact, parental use was by far the leading factor associated with children’s use, they said.

Boys were less likely than girls to use these therapies, they added, while children with cancer and low back pain were especially likely to try out alternative/complementary treatments.

“Although use of chiropractic and massage was almost always for musculoskeletal complaints, acupuncture and naturopathic medicine filled a broader role,” the study authors wrote.

SOURCE: JAMA/ Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

Dr. Keith &Laurie Nemec comment on Kids Follow ParentsThis study shows two things. One, that children follow their parents’ example. Two, that girls whose mothers put pressure on them to eat became picky eaters and ate less fruits, vegetables and were more prone to vitamin deficiencies.

This study shows two things. One, that children follow their parents’ example. Two, that girls whose mothers put pressure on them to eat became picky eaters and ate less fruits, vegetables and were more prone to vitamin deficiencies.In the second study, kids follow parents using alternative therapies, showing that children tend to do what they see their parents doing.

So with these two studies one powerful truth can be seen. If you want to change your children, change yourself first. If you want your children to do or be something or someone, you must do or be it first and then model it to them and they will learn by example. As the eating study showed, if mothers forced their children to eat fruit and vegetables, they were much less likely to eat them. On the other hand, if the child always saw their parents eating fruits and vegetables and enjoying them and looking forward to eating the, the children would naturally start to want them also.

St Francis of Assisi once said, “Go and make the world disciples of Christ and if necessary (and usually it was not) use words.”

Kids do not buy into the “Do as I say, not as I do”.

They will change when your heart changes. If you want them to love eating vegetables, then you love eating vegetables. If you want them to not try to fit in and be like everyone else at school, then you must not try to fit in to a world system and be like everyone in the world.

One more thing, remember children have a keen sense of knowing if their parents are just going through the motions or if it is genuinely in their heart. Follow your heart and they will also.