Customer Reviews

Healthy Child, Whole Child: Integrating the Best of Conventional and Alternative Medicine to Keep Your Kids Healthy

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Review Summary: Drs. Ditchek and Greenfield take Dr. Andrew Weil's approach to combining conventional and alternative medicine (called "Integrated Medicine") and apply it to younger children. As a result, you will get new ideas for ways to avoid recurring ear infections, chronic colic, allergies, asthma, and various attention-related problems. The book provides a sound foundation for having a healther, happier child. As compared to other books I have read on the subject, this one is the best overall resource.

Review: Your child is just undergoing her or his 37th ear infection. Your pediatrician has informed you about putting in tubes to drain the ears as a possible solution. You don't want to do that. What now? Chances are that if you read this book, you will never have to face that exact dilemma. Chronic ear infections are often a consequence of other kinds of problems such as allergies. If you don't eliminate the causes, how can you hope to eliminate the symptoms?

Integrated medicine is based on a belief that the best thing to do is to boost the body's natural immune defenses; consider the interaction of body, spirit, and environment; focus on preventing disease rather than curing later; customizing treatment for each individual; tring gentle and noninvasive methods first; integrating the best of conventional and unconventional medicine; forging a nonauthoritarian healing partnership with patients and their parents; acknowledging that patients and their parents have good insights into the problems; and treating children as children, rather than as small adults.

Where do you find these pediatricians who practice integrated medicine? Well, there are few formally trained ones today. But some traditionally trained pediatricians operate in a similar fashion. The book can also be used to help you get better results while working with a traditional M.D.

The book looks at a lot of key issues for smaller children: optimizing immunity beginning during pregnancy, vaccinations, proper use of antiobiotics, the right kind and amount of food, getting enough water, exercise, rest, relaxation, protecting children from environmental hazards, and offsetting the bad cultural influences of television and advertising.

There is also an unusually open-minded discussion about mind/body medicine, osteopathy, chiropractic, massage, herbs, homeopathy, Chinese medical techniques, and energy based medicine (like Reiki and Qi Gong). I'm pretty open minded on thse subjects, and the authors go beyond my openness.

The book's final section looks specifically at how to avoid and deal with colds, flu, sore throats, ear infections, colic, reflux, abdominal complaints, headaches, allergies, asthma, skin problems, and attitude issues.

Most people would give the book five stars just for the colic, ear infection, and allergy materials.

The materials on food, eating, and exercise are good, but you will want to supplement them. I recommend Marilu Henner's new book, Healthy Kids, for that purpose. It espouses many of the same principles in those subject areas and has recipes, as well.

Despite being the father of four with plenty of experience for these complaints and illnesses, I was impressed by how much new information was presented here. My only complaint about the book is that it wasn't written 30 years ago when I was preparing for fatherhood. Dr. Spock wasn't nearly as helpful on these subjects!

On the matter of ear infections, I would like to note that you can gently rub your child's Eustachian tubes through the skin on the neck and often relieve the interior pressure on the ear drum. While it may not stop the infection, the pain will be less and you can probably avoid a punctured ear drum. A partial vacuum often forms near the top of the tubes. By getting air in there, the air pressure is equalized and comfort is improved. Most dictionaries have a drawing to show you where they are. Basically, they go straight down from the base ear into the throat. You can usually feel them as swollen tubes through the skin.

Forewarned is forearmed. Use this information . . . and pass it on!

"Healthy Child, Whole Child" is a terrific guide to childcare for the 21st century. Drs. Stu and Russ and Lynn Willeford offer smart, actionable advice on raising healthy kids--weighing in on everything from herbs to conventional medicine to mind/body therapies--all written in easy-to-understand, entertaining language. Dr. Russ's training with integrative medicine physician Andrew Weil is a plus. I'd recommend this book to any parent.

This must-read book is rational, grounded in scientific medicine, open to safe and effective combinations of conventional and alternative medicine, and extremely well written. I really liked the authors' respectful and friendly tone, and their comprehensive consideration of everything that affects the health and well-being of children. Well organized into 3 easy-to-use sections: foundations for healthy living; alternative forms of medicine that are safe for children; and how to combine conventional and alternative treatments for run-of-the-mill problems. Good guidelines on when to call your health professional and what you can try on your own. Great references and resources for all parents. I've been giving it as a gift for showers and new parents.

Parents want to do the right thing when it comes to their children's health. They are bombarded by conflicting (sometimes dangerous) advice from friends, books, and the media. This book provides clear, medically accurate explanations for the choices it offers. It is well-researched and easy to read. It improves upon "Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care." I have been a physician for 27 years and a father for 22 years. I will give this book to my daughters when my grandchildren are born.

Healthy Child, Whole Child gives parents useful information in a remarkably enjoyable book. It is more than a reference for raising healthy children; it stimulates parents to think about their choices for creating a healthy childhood experience.

As a physical therapist for 27 years, I have seen in my clinical practice some of the same principles motivating this book: a belief in the innate healing powers of the body and a recognition of the interaction among, body, mind, spirit and environment.

I recommend it to parents and grandparents. It will reinforce your common sense notions about children, and surprise you with good new scientific information. Above all, it is highly readable.

When I received this book, I was looking at it from a fairly critical point of view. I wanted to give my daughter the best start that I could without wanting a medical "fix" for everything that went wrong, while at the same time being prudent about what she would need from modern medicine to be healthy. After reading chapters that had addressed issues such as immunizations, eating, sleeping, and antibiotics, I had found that the pediatricians who wrote this had a good mix of conventional medicine as well as alternative medicine. It is a book has pulled methods of both scopes of practice and has formed a new way of looking at health through both conventional and alternative methods.

Drs. Ditchek and Greenfield were both personally trained by Dr. Andrew Weil, whom I trust more highly than any other contemporary medical authority. Dr. Weil wrote the Foreward to HEALTHY CHILD, WHOLE CHILD and his essay makes it clear that this book is essential reading for parents of young children. I read it from cover to cover and came away empowered with a new understanding of my childrens' health and what I can do to enhance it.

This is a great and important book.

This book is not what I was expecting it to be, I am very disappointed. The authors are biased in favor of vaccines, and as a new parent who is researching the dangers and side-effects of vaccines, the authors' opinions about vaccination is distracting from the other topics in the book. Not only do they push their pro-vaccine agenda in an entire chapter devoted to vaccination, but they refer back to the "necessity" of vaccinations in almost every chapter thereafter. If you follow the recommended vaccination schedule, your child will have nearly 50 immunizations by the time he/she is 6 years old. I wouldn't have myself injected with that many immunizations, so why would I do that to my child? The authors brush-off the side-effects issue as if it isn't that big of a deal. I prefer a discussion which presents both sides of a debate so that I can decide for myself what I think is the right decision for my child. If you are questioning vaccination for your child, this is not the right book for you.

Complete. If I had to choose one word to rate this book, it would be "complete." Dr. Russ and Dr. Stu dive into nearly every facet of child-rearing: to breast feed, or not to breast feed, pros/and cons. A balanced look at medicine. Preventative versus reactive medicine: teaching healthy habits to prevent illness and disease. How to raise your child's awareness and your own in today's pop-culture. Think Andrew Weil on kids, but MORE! I would recommend this book to anyone planning to have kids, anyone with kids, parents whose kids are having kids, ... etc., etc. It's an easy read and a wonderful reference. My only question is, "what took you so long!?" Thanks Dr. Stu and Dr. Russ!

Extremely helpful, fun and easy to read. A positive approach to parenting providing practical guidance on how to prevent childhood illnesses. Full of innovative ideas, clear and concise narrative. Every parent should read!