Recent survey by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine revealed that one in every nine children under age 18 uses some alternative treatment like yoga, going to a chiropractor or taking supplements.

Survey revealed that 4 percent children take a supplement like echinacea, fish oil, flaxseed oil, herb pills, prebiotics or probiotics, 3 percent of children see a chiropractor or an osteopath for manipulation, 2.2 percent do deep breathing exercises and 2.1 percent do yoga.

Findings of the survey were based on the data collected from more than 23,000 interviews with American adults. More than 9,400 adults were interviewed on behalf of children in their households. Interview included questions about 36 common alternative therapies, including 10 that are provider-based, like chiropractic care, and 26 that do not require a provider, such as meditation.

Survey showed that children whose parents or relatives use alternative therapies are five times more likely to use them than children whose parents do not. It also showed that use of alternative medicine by teenagers was higher than younger children. Findings indicated that 6.4 percent of adolescents ages 12 to 17 used these therapies as compared to 10.7 percent of children ages 5 to 11 and 7.6 percent of children ages 4 or younger.

The Survey also showed that number of white children using these alternative therapies was twice as compared to black children using them.