The Road Less Traveled
Daniel is a 22 year old with cerebral palsy. He has recently transitioned from care in a pediatric setting, and is reviewing therapies with his new health care team.
Daniel tells the team that he wants to pursue homeopathy instead of continuing regular physiotherapy as the primary means of addressing his symptoms. He claims that physio is not making him better, while homeopathy can result in significant improvement.
This decision raises concerns for the team about his understanding of his condition and of homeopathy, and the team feels that the homeopathic doctor has not given Daniel an accurate representation of the likely benefits of homeopathy. The team is particularly concerned because Daniel is on a limited income as a university student and the treatment is expensive. The homeopath is requesting a copy of Daniel’s medical records.
The team is comfortable with a range of complementary therapies and recognizes that evidence indicates that many of them provide benefit for their patients, but they feel...