BOSTON - Pediatricians are increasingly faced with families who have turned to complementary and faith-based healing to deal with the chronic illnesses affecting their children. Experts in pediatric bioethics today examined questions such as the role of complementary/alternative medicine in the context of health care for children, when such treatments can be ethically justified by themselves, and when and how they can be combined with more traditional medicine. The session, led by Adrian Sandler, M.D., FAAP, chair, AAP Committee on Children with Disabilities, and Douglas Diekema, M.D., FAAP, member, AAP Committee on Bioethics, took place at the AAP National Conference and Exhibition at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston. According to Dr. Sandler, "It's not always clear what the physician's obligation is in this situation. Questions are raised that we're not sure how to deal with. For example: What if the beliefs of the parents are putting the child at risk? What limits should surround a doctor's willingness to tolerate the wishes of the parents? What about faith healing? How much should a doctor be involved in the spiritual life of his or her patient? There aren't a lot of easy answers." Drs. Sandler and Diekema posed three hypothetical situations in their discussion, and considered possible solutions.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Drs. Diekema and Sandler will participate in a seminar during the AAP National Conference and Exhibition in Boston entitled, "Complementary Medicine or Faith-Based Healing: When is it Ethical?" on Saturday, October 19, from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon (ET). The opinions expressed in this presentation do not necessarily reflect the policies or opinions of the Academy

FAAP indicates Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.