Perfect Health for Kids: Ten Ayurvedic Health Secrets Every Parent Must Know [Paperback]

John Douillard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 4, 2003

According to Ayurveda, an ancient Hindu science, health is a state of balance among the body, mind, senses and soul. This book shows specific ways to promote children's health and well-being using Ayurvedic principles. Douillard explains how to identify the signs of imminent illness, how to make the home chemical and allergen free, and how to stock a "Lazy Susan" of useful natural medicines. Appendices provide shopping lists and a directory of national health providers. Perfect Health for Kids is an accessible, illustrated guide that provides highly effective health maintenance for children.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Dr. John Douillard offers a scientifically validated approach to the well-being of children. Perfect Health for Kids combines insights of the great wisdom tradition of Ayurveda with a current understnading of body, mind, and spirit. This is a must-read."
- Deepak Chopra, M.D.

"At last, a practical Ayurvedic guidebook specifically aimed at the care of children. Every parent and healer should own this insightful and timely book. It will contribute greatly toward the well-being and future of our entire society."
- Dr. David Frawley

"John Douillard is an exceptional healer, parent, and human being. I'd recommend Perfect Health for Kids to parents and caregivers of any age or level of experience. You'll discover a wealth of wisdom and useful information that you never knew."
- Dr. Robert S. Ivker

About the Author

Dr. John Douillard is the author of The 3-Season Diet and Body, Mind, and Sport, which has sold over 60,000 copies and has been printed in six languages. His book Perfect Health for Kids, was released early in 2004, followed by The Encyclopedia of Ayurvedic Massage (both 2004, North Atlantic Books). John received his Ayurvedic training in India and holds a Ph.D. in Ayurvedic medicine from the Open International University. He is the former Director of Player Development for the New Jersey Nets in the NBA. He co-directed Deepak Chopra's Ayurvedic center for eight years and has trained over 2000 Western doctors in Ayurvedic medicine. He launched a preservative-free Ayurvedic skin care line in 1998, and an Ayurvedic herbal line for health professionals in 2003. He has been teaching Ayurvedic medicine, natural health, fitness, and nutrition internationally for seventeen years. Currently he directs the LifeSpa School of Ayurveda and practices Ayurvedic and chiropractic medicine at LifeSpa in Boulder, Colorado, where he lives with his wife and six children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 345 pages
• Publisher: North Atlantic Books (December 4, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556434774
• ISBN-13: 978-1556434778
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.9 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 24 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,651 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Profound Simplicity, March 30, 2004

By 

Devi Mueller "Devi, CAS" (Seal Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Perfect Health for Kids: Ten Ayurvedic Health Secrets Every Parent Must Know (Paperback)

Dr. Douillard's writing style makes this easy to read and understand even if you know nothing about Ayurveda. His depth of research supports the theory and practical solutions presented. Although directed to children's health, the book contains information that can be applied to all ages. This is a must have for parents who are experiencing the increase in childhood disorders from ADD/ADHD to asthma to obesity. These common sense concepts will surprise you with their profound simplicity and practical application.

Parents, grandparents, parents-to-be, and caregivers would do well to make this book a part of their resource library.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very glad I bought it, April 29, 2009

By 

mom in davis (Davis, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Perfect Health for Kids: Ten Ayurvedic Health Secrets Every Parent Must Know (Paperback)

I really loved parts of this book and am re-reading them to get a better idea about how to start implementing the ideas in my family. Having recently read several books on Ayurveda, I was a bit leery of the "10 secrets" thing, which seemed like a bit too much hype. Luckily, the author did not constrain himself to fitting things neatly into 10 secrets and instead put a lot of substantial information in there.

The chapter on seasonal eating really pulled a lot together for me. We've been eating vegetables in season for a while now, and I've been working on cooking according to my family members' doshas, but this chapter helped me see how the two practices could be integrated. Another thing about the book that I especially appreciated is that fact that the author is clearly a father. His descriptions of how he got his kids to take herbs were fun to read.

I do wish that the book had more to say in some sections. The section about moods and the sugar roller coaster resonated at first, but then the action plan described seemed targeted to kids who needed to lose weight. I had the same feeling of "what do I do for my kid?" after reading a section about dark circles under the eyes. At a certain point, many of us will probably need to find an Ayurvedic practitioner (or set up a consultation with the author via his website) to develop an appropriate plan of action. That being said, this book provides a great blueprint for maintaining health and getting kids started with healthy habits for their constitutional type.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent! Learned a lot about how health "really" works..., March 12, 2009

By 

Ingrid (Redwood City, CA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Perfect Health for Kids: Ten Ayurvedic Health Secrets Every Parent Must Know (Paperback)

I learned a LOT about how disease and being unhealthy happens from this book...now when anything unhealthy happens to someone in my family it no longer seems "so random"... I can usually immediately see where it may have come from.

One big ah-ha was that I learned how our digestive system is at the center of most health issues - it's the place where we absorb "good stuff" and eliminate "bad stuff" - so if this isn't working right, ALL kinds of problems can be created in the body - due to "not enough good stuff being absorbed" or having to store "bad stuff" in various parts of the body that were not really meant for storage...So the better care you can take of your digestive system the better overall health you will have.

I've applied many of his specific home remedies to myself and family, and it's been incredibly useful. We cleared up my niece's constipation issues with this herbal mix called Triphala. My son and I haven't had a cold ALL winter long (it's March now) and I credit turmeric + raw honey for that as well as by "eating seasonally." Basically all of the things he's recommended have actually worked for me when I've tried them. I even cleared up a skin rash I had last summer by using the knowledge I gained from this book. I tell EVERYONE, especially parents, about this book, it's been so useful - and I love that it's natural health remedies geared towards children specifically. So often you wonder "would this be OK to give to my 3 year old?" so it's nice that he's coming from that perspective.

The only downside of this book is that I felt it could have been organized a little better - eg- have cleaner "call out boxes" for home remedies instead of having them interspersed with text/prose at times. I've found it somewhat hard to quickly look things up... But it's not horrible either - just could be better. That's the only reason I give him 4 stars instead of 5.