Does “All Natural” Mean All Safe?

Would you put your child on antibiotics without going to your pediatrician first for a prescription? Would you give your child a dose of cold medicine without first checking the package instructions for possible side effects and interactions with other drugs?

Diligent parents would probably say “no way” to both questions, yet a lot of parents are giving their kids vitamins, herbs, and other natural remedies without doing very much label reading or giving much thought to the potential side effects. It’s easy to assume, when the package reads in big letters, “All Natural” that it’s entirely safe, but that isn’t necessarily the case.

Take a recent study published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. Researchers from an Australian children’s hospital tracked the side effects of complementary and alternative medicine. They found 39 reports of side effects, including four deaths in children over a three-year period.

This study illustrates the importance of approaching alternative medicines with the same level of seriousness you would use to evaluate prescription medicines for your child. Actually, you probably need to give these remedies even more thought. Unlike over-the-counter medicines, vitamins and supplements aren’t regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). That means you never can be entirely sure that what’s promised on the label is actually delivered in the bottle, or that the supplement won’t have side effects.

For example, vitamin E can slow blood clotting, and it can intensify the effects of drugs (like Coumadin) that also slow clotting. That can lead to serious bruising or bleeding episodes. Also, one bottle of the same supplement can vary in potency from another or contain ingredients that weren’t advertised on the bottle.

That doesn’t mean you should avoid alternative remedies entirely, just that you should approach them more cautiously. Let your pediatrician know about every medication and supplement your child is taking. Never switch medicines or start a new drug or supplement without checking with the doctor first.

Keep all supplements locked away in a high cabinet, out of your children’s reach, just as you would with over-the-counter and prescription medications. And don’t ever try to treat a real medical condition solely with a natural remedy. Supplements are called “complementary” medicine for a reason—because they’re meant to complement—not replace—traditional medicine.

Lim A. Archives of Disease in Childhood. http://adc.bmj.com/content/early/2010/11/24/adc.2010.183152.abstract?sid....