[Alternative treatment possibilities of atopic diseases]

Families of children with atopic diseases often seek so-called alternative treatment as supplementation, not as real alternative to clinical medicine (complementary instead of alternative treatment). Clinical studies on the efficiency of acupuncture in the treatment of bronchial asthma gave contradictory results. The author's own uncontrolled experience in asthmatic children using a simple acupuncture scheme is rather good and a controlled clinical trial seems justified. In atopic dermatitis treatment comprises a mixture of acupuncture, homeopathy and dietary regimes and the therapeutic results have to be viewed against the possibility of spontaneous remissions. A controlled clinical trial seems impossible.