MyNemours Sign-InIntegrative medicine is designed to care for all aspects of your child — mind, body and spirit. It’s a holistic approach that blends traditional medical care with complementary therapies like meditation and massage. Integrative medicine works together with your child’s medical treatment plan. It’s never used as a substitute for traditional medicine. Integrative medicine can help increase your child’s range of movement, and help both you and your child feel more relaxed and less stressed during treatment.
Integrative Medicine
Holistic, Complementary Care for Kids
Children We Treat With Integrative Medicine
Our integrative medicine services at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children (Wilmington, Del.) can be used to help any child who’s:
- dealing with a chronic or serious condition
- getting ready for or recovering from surgery
- staying at the hospital for any other reason
Some services are available to both children and their families.
Integrative Medicine Services We Offer
Our services may include:
- uses essential oils from plants
- can ease your child’s feelings of anxiety, pain and/or stress
- can increase appetite
- often used during Health Touch and massage therapy sessions
- performed by an accredited and certified Healing Touch provider (usually a nurse)
- available to patients of all ages and their families
- uses a gentle, nurturing touch and other therapeutic techniques designed to encourage the body’s natural ability to heal
- can help create an overall sense of well-being, help reduce feelings of anxiety, pain and/or stress, strengthen the immune system, improve relaxation, speed recovery after surgery, and support cancer care
- uses light touch, aromatherapy and/or quiet music to help relax the body, loosen tight muscles, and increase blood flow
- can be a very soothing treatment for your child, who may feel stress or tension because of their injury, condition and/or medical treatments
- a relaxation technique that can help calm your child, reduce their fears, and promote positive thinking
- can include hypnosis, breathing exercises and guided imagery (an imagination exercise)
- a gentle, physical activity that can help your child release tension, increase strength, and cope with various physical and behavioral health conditions
- can help increase the brain’s production of serotonin (a natural feel-good hormone), regulate blood sugar, and improve balance
Why Choose Us for Integrative Medicine
The effects of a child’s illness or injury often go way beyond the surface. That’s why at Nemours, we offer integrative medicine alongside traditional treatments. By offering a range of holistic services, our specialists provide an atmosphere of healing and wellness, while making sure your child is being cared for mentally and physically. We want to help both you and your child feel better, inside and out.
Research & Clinical Trials
At Nemours, we’re actively researching new approaches for childhood disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
KidsHealth Library
Learn more about your child’s medical condition from the experts at Nemours’ KidsHealth.