Introduction

Patients commonly use unconventional medical therapies such as chiropractic medicine, acupuncture, and herbalism to treat a variety of medical conditions. Many physicians have incorporated some unconventional therapies into their practice. Moreover, many third-party payers reimburse patients for a variety of unconventional therapies. It is less common to use unconventional therapy to treat a critically ill infant. In this case, a mother demanded that the medical staff use herbal therapy on her infant who was recovering from septic shock.

The case

Ericka was a vigorous 7 pound 12 ounce (3.5 kg) term baby girl. She stayed in the hospital two extra days after birth for evaluation of a low-grade temperature. At ten days of age, she developed a runny nose and a cough. Her mother, Melody, continued to breast-feed and gave her some of the special herbal tea she had used during the pregnancy. Two days later, Melody took her infant to the emergency department because she was lethargic, fed poorly, and breathed heavily.

In the emergency department, Ericka was in moderate respiratory distress. Her respiratory rate was 65 breaths per minute, her heart rate was 160, and her blood pressure was 65/40. Her color was pink, but her skin was slightly cool and her mucous membranes were dry. Bilateral crackles were heard over both lung fields. The rest of her exam was normal.