More and more evidence accumulates demonstrating a rise in childhood obesity and its attendant ills. While there is no doubt that the health of children has deteriorated due to overweight-related maladies, might there be a downside to the phenomenal media attention paid to this issue? …
Stories
Integrative Pediatrics: Can we survive?
Can integrative pediatricians afford to stay in business? Practitioners are struggling with how to provide high-quality comprehensive care while maintaining access for those families who cannot afford cash-only services. …
Echinacea: Interpreting the Evidence
Is a new article in this week's New England Journal of Medicine the final nail in Echinacea's coffin? Some say, emphatically, yes, and would like to use this opportunity to quash CAM research. …
Autism and Mercury: Truth and Consequences
We have not seen in our time a more controversial public health issue than the mercury-autism dispute. The July 20th "Power of Truth" rally in Washington, D.C., coupled with the CDC/FDA/NIH/AMA July 19th press conference has brought the debate to a frothing boil. …
Mixed Messages on Pollution
Two recent conflicting reports highlight the difficulties in deciphering the degree of the environment's impact on our health. Just how polluted are we? …
Burden of Proof
Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) has become the default philosophy to judge therapeutic efficacy and safety. It has never been the complete answer for integrative medicine and CAM therapies. Given the recent slate of public warnings regarding FDA-approved medicines, is the glow wearing off EBM? …
Harry’s Back
In honor of Harry Potter's return at midnight tonight, I've stitched together author JK Rowling's musings on healing and medicine with my own observations of her books' health-related impact on children. …
NEWS FLASH: New AAP Section for Integrative Pediatrics
News of the American Academy of Pediatrics' approval of a new provisional Section on Complementary, Holistic and Integrative Medicine is traveling fast. …
Stressed-Out Kids
Ulcers. Migraines. Panic attacks. Are today's pressures slowly killing our children? …
War of the Words
Some of you who took an early July 4th holiday might have missed Brooke Shields' fantastic rant in the NY Times Op-Ed section last Friday. The title alone is certainly my nominee for pun-of-the-year. …