depressed child

I recently took my 9-year old daughter to see an Herbologist who did nerves scans of some type.  She used something that measures electrical currents through the body.  She found all types of things my daughter is supposedly allergic to and also that she is depressed. She also found other things, such as the bacteria found in the body related to Lyme disease. My daughter does take Paxil because she has been exhibiting signs of OCD.  The medication has helped.  My question is, would you know anything about this type of practice?  I believe alternative medicine has its place and can help but certainly don't think I should disregard what the pediatrician says.Can you offer any websites to help or any advice?

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Dear Joette,

It sounds like you've adopted a reasonable, balanced perspective. That is, herbal treatment may be beneficial, but needs to be approached with the same diligence and caution that traditional medicine demands.

I am not familiar with the sort of diagnostic process you describe. But one of the concerns I have as I see patients in this office who are being treated with herbal remedies is that, because such remedies are non-prescription, fairly unregulated and easy to obtain, they can be used too casually, without appreciation for their mechanisms of action. For example, I see some children who, like your daughter, are prescribed serotonergic agents (e.g., Paxil, Zoloft, Prozac) and who are also taking herbal preparations (like hypericum) that also act on serotonin. I'm not familiar with reliable web sites on the matter, but perhaps one of the readers of the Forum will weigh in on this.