Energy Medicine Principles for Parents Radio Interview

A few days ago I had the honor of being interviewed by Andrea Tannouri on her blog talk radio show. We spent about one hour talking about my new book, the history of how I came to be a holistic physician using alternative medicine when I started out as a conventionally trained pediatrician and practiced that way for several years. We also touched on various topics relevant to the choices parents are called upon to make when it comes to their child’s health care and the navigation required to choose among all of the sources of information out there.

As I have reflected on our conversation over the last few days, a new question has surfaced with regards to what I like to call “the middle ground” which is in between the conventional medical establishment and the alternative medicine wing of our society which includes a number of physicians in the mix besides myself. I believe we have become stuck on semantics and statistics and rules to the detriment of our understanding and seeking of common ground.

For example, it dawned on me after the interview that what I refer to as energy includes the conventional definition as well as the alternative. The only difference seems to be in what is focused on and named, and what receives the bulk of our investigation and quite frankly our belief. Energy in the conventional physical viewpoint of the body involves something called ATP, or adenosine triphosphate which is produced at the cellular level by the powerhouse of our cells, the mitochondria. Now, every physician has learned this and knows what ATP and mitochondria are. However, when it comes to our patients, parents and their kids, I have never been asked by them about this. Is it because mitochondria and ATP are not important? No. It is simply because nobody thinks or speaks using these terms except doctors and researchers.

When we use the term ‘energy’ in the alternative or holistic medicine viewpoint, we are referring to a concept that everyone can relate to, even though technically it is not measured. If someone is low on energy, we say they are tired out or exhausted. We don’t say their mitochondria are low on ATP production. This doesn’t mean we are right and everyone else is wrong, it just means that the description of energy is more understandable and useful for families looking for answers and explanations for their kids.

I believe that we can use both strategies to give parents the best information possible, depending on the situation at hand. In the realm of physical disorders and imbalances, there is no question that a hormone like insulin for diabetes is necessary and is an example of matching a physical deficiency with a physical or chemical/hormonal/substance replacement. In the category of energy imbalances, we must use energy inputs to match and correct the energy patterns that lead to problems and not assume that drugs or surgical interventions are the only valid choices. The BodyTalk System and the Chinese Medicine and acupuncture systems are examples of modalities whose intervention is largely energy based. As a physician, I have no problem accepting this as a concept because it makes sense, and I have seen the energy medicine approach work time after time with all age groups for many different energy associated conditions.

We owe it to ourselves, our families, our colleagues, and especially our succeeding generations, to find common ground and creative solutions, rather than prolonging the competitive stances that keep us in grid lock over who has the right answer for everyone and everything.

That’s more than enough of my ramblings, how about I give you a link to the audio file on my website where you can listen to the interview I did with Andrea Tannouri on Energy Medicine Principles for Parents.

This may be the first of many interviews where we explore topics that are important to you and your kids. Be sure to send me your feedback after listening to the interview.

Thanks for coming back to visit my blog. If you like the content I have here, let all your friends know and make sure you send me your questions and comments.

Energy Medicine Principles for Parents Ebook Released

My new ebook called Energy Medicine Principles for Parents was just released this week. I am very grateful to all those who contributed to the completion of this project. Even though it took me a little over a year, I feel very satisfied with the outcome and the final product. I want to say a special thank you to Dr John Veltheim, the founder of the BodyTalk System, who graciously wrote the foreward to the book, and who has paved the way for many people to understand and utilize energy medicine in new and exciting ways.

My goal with this book is to provide parents with an introduction and a working understanding of what I define as energy medicine and why I think it is so important. As a pediatrician and holistic physician, I have spent the better part of the last 10 years devoting myself to learning and putting into practice the energy medicine modalities I mention in the book. They are: The BodyTalk System, acupuncture point stimulation techniques (with and without needles), essential oils used mostly topically, and other supplementation strategies.

Many people wonder why a board certified pediatrician like me would choose to change his practice into one of holistic or alternative methods only. My response is that I do not reject the western medical model or its utility, I simply prefer to practice in such a way that I am able to provide what I think is the best, most comprehensive approach for my patients and families. My opinion is that ideally, all families have access and an openness to all modalities which may be of benefit to them. I generally see my role as an adjunct or a complement to a person’s healthcare team, not as a stand alone substitute.

I believe that the energy medicine paradigm provides an extremely useful framework to discuss and manage those aspects of pediatric symptoms and conditions that are outside of the diagnostic parameters available today. When I practiced primary care pediatrics in the past, there were many times when no diagnosis could be given, and no treatment offered, simply because the child’s condition or presentation was outside of what conventional medicine could categorize and differentiate. This does not mean that conventional approaches are all bad or all wrong, it just means they are incomplete.

With energy as our common currency and as a way to describe and interpret what’s going on with a child and their family, a whole new vista is opened and made accessible and workable to me as a doctor, and to the families I am working with to try and help.

Getting back to the book, there are 4 parts and a final section where parents can get into action right away.
Part 1: Energy Medicine Principles – ten energy medicine principles I think all parents should know about
Part 2: The treatment process and the BodyTalk system
Part 3: Pediatric applications discussed by age range
Part 4: Energy Medicine Synthesis – 3 case studies of different conditions and age groups
The last section is called “What you can do for your child right now!”

If you would like to read a short excerpt from the book, you may download it from my homepage on PrinciplesForParents.com.

If you would like more details about the contents of the book itself and the bonus materials, you may read more about my Energy Medicine Principles for Parents Ebook here.

As always, I welcome your questions or comments on the book or any other topics.

What is energy medicine?

What is energy medicine? This is a very valid and timely question. I would say most parents don’t really understand what energy medicine is, and this is one of the reasons I am trying to get the word out. In my experience, energy medicine techniques work particularly well on children and babies because they are so energetically sensitive to begin with.

I believe, along with many other doctors, scientists, researchers, philosophers, teachers, and physics experts, that energy medicine is and will be the dominant player in our collective health care future. Energy medicine includes such diverse fields as Chinese medicine, naturopathic medicine, homeopathy, chiropractic, light and sound therapies, infrared and other subtle energy modalities.

I came across this short video highlighting Dr James Oschman as he gave a presentation at a medical conference. He gives a very concise, compelling description of what energy medicine is and why it is destined to become such an important force within the field of medicine. Watch the 5 minute video below and then I will add some comments relating to energy medicine and kids.




In my practice, I see kids and babies of all age groups and I use the BodyTalk System, founded by Dr John Veltheim. There are many energy based modalities in use today, but I think BodyTalk is one of the easiest for younger age groups and it can certainly be taught to parents so they can do the tapping protocols at home. Who is better positioned than parents to perform ongoing energy based interventions for their kids? In reality, parents are contributing greatly to the energy dynamics in the home for their kids regardless of whether they are aware of it or not.

I recently wrote an ebook on this very subject, and it is called “Energy Medicine Principles for Parents: A Pediatrician’s Perspective on How Energy Medicine Can Help Your Child”. You can read more about it on my website, PrinciplesForParents.com.



As you heard Dr Oschman say in the video, we cannot even have a discussion or look around or move our bodies without engaging the principles and actions of energy, both within and outside of ourselves. What are your thoughts on what energy medicine means for your kids and your family? I look forward to getting your feedback.

The Holistic Family Movement

I recently joined Twitter and found a group of holistic minded parents and individuals led by someone named Andrea Tannouri or as she is known on Twitter, @HolisticMom. I had no idea how many like minded people there are out there who are looking for more natural, green,  holistic approaches to life, parenting, working, and pursuing life’s deepest challenges and questions.

Since we are living in the information age,  I see no reason why we shouldn’t be able to connect with like minded folks and show our power in numbers. I recommend you check out this site called HolisticTwitter.com which has over 700 members already! Andrea Tannouri started this group and it has continued to grow rapidly.

As interested parents, educators and holistic practitioners come together to share ideas and learn from each other, I predict the holistic family movement philosophy will spread like wild fire in all types of media outlets, not just internet based ones.  So far, @HolisticMom has taken the lead in this regard, but all of us can do more to spread the word.

Go check out the Holistic Family Movement Blog and the HolisticTwitter.com sites.

Have a great day!

Anniversaries and Energy Medicine

Today is my 18th wedding anniversary! My wife, Lisa, and I were married in 1991 on this date and we continue to enjoy our life’s journey together. It dawned on me that anniversaries are common in the energy medicine system and they can be particularly relevant to your kids. Let me explain.

If your child has had some sort of event which had an impact on them, you can be sure that their own nervous system has that experience filed away in the memory part of their brain. What I have come to recognize is a very curious phenomenon whereby kids (and all of us) have these time associations with dramatic events in their lives. If, for example, a child experiences some sort of accident or trauma at a certain time of year, the information related to the time, date, time of year, climate, environment, etc., will be imprinted or associated right along with the event itself.

Quite commonly, if I am going through a child’s history with a parent, we will come up with time windows where their child tends to get symptoms or have problems at a certain time of year. Sometimes it is exactly around the anniversary date of some significant event.

I believe that since our own nervous system is designed to protect and conserve our energy system and our physical bodies, it makes sense that we would be “reminded” of circumstances or similar cues coming in to our five senses at certain times of the year. In this way, anniversaries play a protective reminder role and can be seen and interpreted as such.

I often explain to my patients that the automatically functioning part of our system (sometimes referred to as the autonomic nervous system) keeps track of things we don’t normally have conscious awareness of. Certainly, that is the way it should be, otherwise we would be paralyzed by information overload!

Another description I like to give parents is the fact that we all have energy ‘savings accounts’, which store up energy for us so that it is at the ready, just in case a certain scenario or event repeats itself. This is extremely common in younger age groups and it takes on more importance because their energy and nervous systems are less mature and have less experience to rely on.

My main point here, is that anniversaries pop up in our own energy systems all the time, even though we are not necessarily aware of them. Think about your own child’s life experiences, and see if you can make correlations with dates and times of the year that may have significance for your child. By recognizing this concept in your own awareness, your child will be affected as well.

Finally, let’s not forget to celebrate the positive experiences your child has gone through or the significant milestones they have attained. After all, anniversaries should be fun and a time to rejoice.