Holistic Health Screening

Abstract This chapter will focus on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), as it relates to adolescents. More than 1 out of every 10 children utilize complementary medicine as part of their healthcare plan, and adolescents are more likely to use CAM than children. Given its frequency of use, it is important that healthcare providers regularly ask about its use in both acute-care and well-care visits. The annual well visit and/or sports physical examination may be an ideal time to identify CAM use and there are resources available to aid providers in how to obtain this information. Medical conditions for which adolescents commonly use CAM include dysmenorrhea, psychiatric disorders (depression, anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), sleep disorders, headaches, acne, dermatitis, weight management, and performance enhancement. Although for some conditions there is contradictory and/or lacking evidence of efficacy, patients and families use CAM. Including CAM screening in our adolescent population is an opportunity to educate patients and families and separate fact from fiction.