How to Raise a Healthy Child [Hardcover]

Lendon Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 17, 1996

The complete '90s children's health guide from America's favorite pediatrician, Lendon Smith.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Known as the "Tonight Show doctor," Smith (Feed Your Kids Right) has spent recent time off from Hollywood in intensive study with naturopathic physicians and chiropractors. In this tightly packed and extensively footnoted volume on raising healthy, resilient children, he issues the usual warnings associated with alternative medicine?about mercury fillings, fluoride, aspartame and pesticides. He discusses the perils of circumcision and immunization; the advantages of breastfeeding; the benefits of whole foods and plenty of vitamin C (magnesium, too, is a favorite supplement). Natural, homeopathic remedies that may be useful to parents willing to experiment (aconite or belladonna for ear infection, echinacea for a cold) are included, but readers may have to consult another source, such as a naturopathic physician, for details and dosages, which aren't always supplied here. In chapters organized along developmental lines and by system and symptom, Smith tends to ramble, occasionally lambasting the status quo, then lightening up ("some kids can sleep in the cat litter box and never get sick"). His conjecturing, references to obscure sources and parenthetical questioning are irksome, yet his eccentric voice also provides relief from those of the many experts who rarely stray off the beaten path. Smith's belief that no single type of healing can solve every problem and his exuberant sense of curiosity will appeal to readers confident enough to join in some medical bushwhacking.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Smith (Hyper Kid Workbook, Shaw Spelling, 1990) provides parents with a guide to raising healthy, happy children. He encourages parents to become active, informed participants in the medical decision-making regarding their child's health. The early chapters focus on the growth and development of the fetus and infant and the effects of proper nutrition. Smith warns of the danger to fetuses, infants, and young children from toxins in air, food, and water as well as from antibiotics, immunization, fluoridation, aspartame, and mercury fillings. He also discusses urological disorders, their etiology, and their treatment. Although not a comprehensive child care manual, this book does cover such topics as aggression, anxiety, allergies, pain, and skin problems; emergencies, accidents, poisoning, and first-aid are also addressed. Smith uses case reports to illustrate his arguments and provides extensive references and a list of resource organizations. For consumer health collections.?Jodith Janes, Cleveland Clinic Fdn., Lakewood, Ohio
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 390 pages
• Publisher: M.Evans & Company (September 17, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871317982
• ISBN-13: 978-0871317988
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,110,262 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Alternative and/or traditional. What's best? It's all here., May 24, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (New Jersey, Next to New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Raise a Healthy Child (Hardcover)

If your looking for one book to give you real honest-to-goodness advice (without any hidden agenda's) on what's best for your child, look no farther. Lendon H. Smith, "the little baby doctor" as Johnny Carson used to call him, picks up where Mendelsohn left off with his "How To Raise A Healthly Child In Spite Of Your Doctor" (Copyright 1984). Smith's more up to date book delivers a well balanced and informative approach to raising your child. His advice is based all on the latest scientific data. He embraces that which is best for the child without any favoritism given to the "traditional" or the "alternative" approaches. The book is thorough, yet easy to read. If your looking for a book that follows main stream thinking, this is not it. If your really looking for a guide for what's best for your child and you are ready to fight for what's best for your child, then this is it (wife bought fourteen books, this book and one on breast feeding techniques are the only books we use). Buy this book. Sleep easier tonight.