RT Journal
A1 Pichichero ME
T1 OSteopathic manipulation to prevent otitis media—does it work?
JF Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
JO Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
YR 2003
FD September 1
VO 157
IS 9
SP 852
OP 853
DO 10.1001/archpedi.157.9.852
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archpedi.157.9.852
AB 
ALTERNATIVE AND complimentary therapies for acute otitis media (AOM) are of growing interest to physicians and parents. Osteopathic manipulation treatment (OMT) is a frequently used alternative therapy for AOM among practitioners trained and skilled in the technique. In this issue of ARCHIVES, Mills et al1 introduce the allopathic community to the modalities applied by osteopathic physicians as treatment for AOM and their effect on outcomes. Using a randomized controlled trial design, the investigators looked for differences in frequency of AOM episodes, surgical procedures with tympanostomy tubes, and surgery-free months. Among children prone to having AOM who received OMT vs control subjects across 6 months of intervention, small but statistically significant differences were found favoring OMT. Let's take a look at the methods.