EDMONTON, ALBERTA--(Marketwired - Jan. 16, 2014) - Whole Family Health, an Edmonton acupuncture clinic has teamed up with the University of Alberta and the Stollery for groundbreaking trials for children with cancer who suffer from pain, anxiety, nausea, and vomiting (PNAV). The Stollery and U of A Care team is focusing on using complimentary alternative health measures (CAM) due to their effectiveness in relieving PNAV.
The Pediatric Integrative Medicine (PIM) trial has been recruiting children since early 2013 and will focus on complementary and alternative medicine such as acupuncture to relieve symptoms such as pain, nausea, vomiting and anxiety in pediatric cancer patients. "The trial will assess and compare costs, length of hospital stay, safety and effectiveness of therapies (CAM and conventional), and quality of life and satisfaction with care as determined by patients, their caregivers and health care providers."*
"It's been exciting to be able to use non-invasive techniques to help these kids feel better," says Cecil Horwitz (RAc, DAc, CH), acupuncturist and head clinician at Whole Family Health. "Given the severity of their illnesses I am very excited to be able to give them some relief from their symptoms."
Horwitz will be performing acupuncture sessions on pediatric cancer patients on an on call scheduled basis at the Stollery for 5-20 minutes per treatment to try and alleviate the pain (PNAV) and discomfort associated with cancer as well as chemotherapy treatments.
This trial is the first of its kind to assess the impact of an integrative medicine service for pediatric patients. The results of the study are expected to provide evidence as to the necessity of integrative medicine to children while they are in the hospital, and will "help address an important gap in public health policy and practice".*
Whole Family Health specializes in pediatric acupuncture and treats clients on a daily basis for everything from common childhood ailments to ADD, ADHD and asthma with specialized treatment plans. According to Edmonton acupuncturist (wholefamilyhealth.ca) Horwitz, infants and children respond very quickly to acupuncture treatments and when treated regularly their need for pharmaceutical treatment can be reduced greatly. They also provide IVF acupuncture, general acupuncture programs as well as massage therapy, yoga classes and nutrition programs.
For more information Whole Family Health services visit http://wholefamilyhealth.ca/.
*Source: University of Alberta Care
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