Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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EDITORIAL
The birth of a child completely changes the lives of the new
parents. Among the many questions and decisions facing
first-time parents, one of the most important is: how do I help
my child to become healthy and which therapeutic approach is
the right one? At this point, many parents decide in favour
of complementary, alternative medicine. Besides expecting
efficacy and safety, they also wish for a gentle and well
tolerated form of medicine offering therapeutic treatments
and remedies attuned to the specific physical and mental
requirements of their child.
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Despite their high success rate, alternative therapies and
medicines have been viewed very critically by many allopathic
physicians. A large number of clinical and experimental studies
evaluating the efficacy of alternative medicine are now
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available .
1
See e.g. several studies of Dr. Helmut Kiene
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de Lange de Klerk, E.S.M., Blommers, J., Kuik, D.J., Bezemer, P.D., Feenstra, L Effect of homoeopathic
medicines on daily burden of symptoms in children with recurrent upper respiratory tract infections, 1994.
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van Berckel Smit, J.A.C.M., A pilot study evaluating the efficacy of homeopathy in daily practice,
Brit. Hom.J. 82: 9-15 (1993)
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Riley, D, Fischer, M, Singh, B, Haidvogel, M, Heger, M,: Homeopathy and conventional medicine: an
outcomes study comparing the effectiveness in a primary setting. J Alternative Compl Med. 7: 149 – 159 (2001)
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PAEDIATRICS TODAY
When we consider the rate of infant and child mortality that still
existed in our grandparents' days, it is evident that paediatric
medicine has made enormous progress. The improvement
in hygienic conditions and the discovery of penicillin are
milestones along this road. From the moment the infant first
glimpses the light of day, its path is flanked through early
childhood and on into school age by a comprehensive system of
medical care and supervision. Conventional medicine offers a
rich programme of medicines and therapies. But changed living
conditions and the special health constitution of our children are
increasingly calling for this medicine to be supplemented by
complementary, alternative forms of therapy attuned to the
child's body. But what exactly is holistic paediatrics? Is it
concerned only with the cure and management of diseases? Or
do these ailments, and especially childhood diseases, rather
have to be viewed and interpreted in a broader way as they are
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closely related to the individual child's development ? Fact is:
the maintenance of children's health therefore should be placed
at the centre of all paediatric endeavours with the aim of
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preventing future illnesses ?
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Tautz Christoph, Kinderkrankheiten – Krankheiten im Kindesalter! Stuttgart 2000
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Glöckler, Michaela, Kindsein heute. Stuttgart 2003
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HOW TO COPE WITH DISEASES?
All parents are familiar with this stage in their child's develop-
ment: at the latest when their child first walks through the kinder-
garten gate, infections and childhood diseases increasingly
find their way into the family home. Whether cold, cough,
middle ear inflammation or gastrointestinal catarrh, infections like
these may be expected to crop up on an almost monthly basis,
especially during the cold seasons. How helpful and reassuring is
the visit to the familiar children's doctor who provides the desired
relief by prescribing the necessary medications. And this is indeed
the most fundamental purpose of paediatrics: coping with and
warding off disease. Exactly at this point complementary
paediatrics take the child itself (and not just the disease) with all
its unique personal characteristics into the focus of medical
treatment. This holistic approach thus creates an overall picture of
the physical and mental-psychological situation and – in case of
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of illness – identifies deficits and imbalances in the child . Based on
this, it offers an individualised treatment approach tailored to the
patient's own personal potentials, in which the child is always
perceived as an independently acting human being.
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Glöckler Michaela, Kindsein heute
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Koch Ulrich, Impfen im Kindes- und Erwachsenenalter – Ein kritischer Ratgeber aus homöopathischer Sicht,
Nr. 16, Page 12
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Gleide Corinna quoted according to Antonovsky Aaron: Salutogenese. Zur Entmytifizierung der Gesundheit,
Tübingen 1997 in die Drei 8/9 2004
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PAEDIATRICS REQUIRES CHILD
CENTRED MEDICINE
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Soldner Georg und Tautz Christoph in Der Merkurstab, Pädiatrie, Sonderheft IV
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COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE IN PAEDIATRICS
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Dellmour, Friedrich: Homöopathische Arzneiwirkung oder Placebo? Wirknachweise in der Homöopathie
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Dellmour, Friedrich: Homöopathische Arzneiwirkung oder Placebo?
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AN INTEGRATED APPROACH CONVENTIONAL
MEDICINE AND COMPLEMENTARY PAEDIATRICS
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Soldner Georg in Der Merkurstab, Pädiatrie, Sonderheft IV
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Georg Soldner is a paediatrician
in Munich, Germany.
He published several books and
numerous articles in international
medicinal journals on paediatrics
and complementary medicine.
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or later childhood. The frequency of neurodermatitis, asthma
and hay fever in this comparative study was up to 70% lower
on a complementary medical regimen combined with
biological-dynamic diet than when the children received
conventional treatment and nutrition.”
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ECHAMP Why do parents decide in favour of complementary
therapy?
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ECHAMP Is today's paediatrician tomorrow's geriatrician?
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ECHAMP What development do you see in paediatrics?
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CHILDREN DISEASE
CHILDHOOD DISEASES
AND THEIR SIGNIFICANCE
A sick child often plunges the parents into a maelstrom of
worries and questions. This is where paediatrics has to provide
support for parents and children, point out methods of
treatment and create a basis of trust in order to overcome the
disease.
CHILDHOOD DISEASES
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Tautz Christoph, Kinderkrankheiten als Weg zur Immunkompetenz
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Tautz Christoph, Kinderkrankheiten – Krankheiten im Kindesalter
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ES
FEVER
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
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Tautz Christoph: Kinderkrankheiten als Weg zur Immunkompetenz
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WHAT PARENTS SAY...
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Aware of their responsibility and obligation of care, parents
demand a free choice of therapeutic approach for their child.
Neither governmental nor ideological constraints must be
allowed to interfere in these choices. The medical treatment
should always have first priority in the interest of the child's
well-being.
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"NICE FOLKS"
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THE CHILD AS A PA
"It's often amazing what comes out during these interviews and
what children remember from their early childhood. Not only
about their own situation but also the general family situation.
Frequently, parents are astounded to hear their child describing
its situation and its observations". Evidently events during the
first few years of life play a significant role in everyone's health
history. Many illnesses seem to have their roots in events during
these primary years.
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ATIENT
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REGULAR MEDICINE
VACCINATION
REWARDING
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CONCLUSION
In a time of rapidly changing circumstances and habits, but also
of new developments in health policy, modern paediatrics can
point the way in a new, groundbreaking direction. Although
children – especially in Europe – live under the most advanced
conditions, a widespread lack of physical and mental-emotional
exercise, dietary deficits and an excess of allopathic medicines
can be deleterious to children's health.
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ECHAMP
European Coalition on Homeopathic and
Anthroposophic Medicinal Products E.E.I.G.
Avenue Livingstone 33
1000 Brussels
Belgium
Phone +32-2-235 09 81
Fax +32-2-235 09 82
Email office@echamp.be
http www.echamp.org
ECHAMP gratefully acknowledges the achievements of the editing team (Sabine Backes-Aghte with Frank Bech and Christine Wild).
Illustrations: Our sincere thanks to Biologische Heilmittel Heel GmbH, Dr. Peithner KG nunmehr GmbH & Co, VSM Geneesmiddelen BV,
WALA Heilmittel GmbH and Weleda AG for the pictures used in this brochure, as well as the private pictures and drawings received from the families
Appel, Backes-Aghte, Bech, De Decker and Zupan.
Layout: International Graphics & Productions
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