How is "healthy eating" lumped in with unconventional therapies?? The FIRST strategy when kids are sick should be to try an all-natural diet removing all artificial chemicals, colors, and additives. MSG alone triggers seizures for my child. How do these parents get to the point of reiki and acupuncture without cutting the toxins out of the diet first?

If this girl has migraines, it is important to note that migraines (and thankfully the writer did not use that term) are a true neurological disorder that may be triggered by many things, including food additives, weather, hormonal shifts, vascular instability, inflammation and, yes, stress. There is a difference between "cause" and "trigger." Attributing migraines - or severe headaches - to stress may mean the wrong treatment plan, and also causes prejudice against mostly female sufferers. I wonder what medications this young woman tried, and if they looked at the hormonal angle (estrogen dominance), or tried anticonvulsants. Acupuncture helps but it certainly doesn't cure. I agree about diet: and cutting dairy and gluten can help many.

Re: the author's comment at the end of the article regarding the quality of alternative practitioners. I am really amazed this was printed in the Globe. She should have done her research more completely and not have engaged in such sweeping generalizations as: "The quality of alternative practitioners varies widely, and there’s no standard for determining the best ones. People who practice acupuncture, for instance, may have just three hours of training, or years of training. Practitioners affiliated with hospitals will tend to have more experience." Although that may pertain to certain "alternative practitioners", that is certainly not the case for Acupuncturists legally practicing in Massachusetts. I am a Licensed Acupuncturist in Massachusetts, where the profession is regulated by the Board of Medicine, and requires substantial education and training, generally at a Master's Degree level or higher. And, practicing "at a hospital", certainly does not provide any tendency to "have more experience", other than that of working in a hospital setting. The only people that I'm aware of that may be practicing acupuncture with only 3 hours of training may be some physicians, who are allowed to insert acupuncture needles under their medical license, and are not required to receive a full course of training in Acupuncture and/or Asian Medicine.