Organic Food Recommended for Children

I recently came across this video featuring fellow pediatrician Dr Harvey Karp, who describes the benefits of organic food for kids and babies. There are many reasons why it is a good idea for parents to consider this option for their whole family’s dietary intake.

All of us are exposed to toxins and chemicals in our environment and the food supply available to us through non-organic sources is likely to have measurable amounts of pesticides, growth hormones, and even antibiotics.

I agree with Dr Karp that it makes so much sense to pay attention to what we are putting into our bodies and the quality of our food choices. I also want to re-emphasize the point that because children are smaller in size, being exposed to pesticides and toxins for them is much more problematic and has a more concentrated effect than in an adult.

In addition, as Dr Karp mentions in the video, time is of the essence because kids have many more years of growth and life expectancy in general, and it is the cumulative effect of chemicals and other environmental pollutants that can have long lasting implications for your child.

Watch the video and leave your comments below. Do you buy organic food for your family? Let me know what you think.

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.

The Living Matrix: Information as Medicine

I am a pragmatist, and my medical training and education in general has taught me to look for consistency in one’s position and particularly across many diverse fields and subjects. This is the one way that the “truth” can be strived for when the waters are muddy and the conflicting viewpoints are more numerous than the concurrent ones.

It is clear from my perusal of the literature and my own exploration of such diverse fields as music, medicine, physics, life sciences, mathematics, social structures, politics, and even spirituality and religion, that the overriding consistent theme among all of these is that we are energy based beings, with vibration and energy signatures at the very core of our existence, and within our universe we are engaged in the human experience as individuals.

I see this consistency overwhelming the old paradigm of Newtonian physics and the dependence on physical explanations for everything under the sun. Indeed, this outdated way of thinking will soon be gone, especially as our methods of measurement of such things as the human energy field, functional magnetic resonance imaging of the brain, the frequency of vibration of our very own DNA strands, and the electromagnetic field characteristics of our own heart energy system show the general public in no uncertain terms that these energy descriptions are real. Since we live in a society governed by personal choices, it is no surprise that certain segments of our population have chosen to ignore these findings for many years now. My contention is that this microfocused view will not last long, as more and more people gain access to this information.

Here is the trailer to the movie called The Living Matrix. I recommend it for anyone interested in learning more about energetics and what it means for medicine, science, and our daily lives. Even in my lifetime so far, many things I learned or was taught in medical school and elsewhere have had to undergo “revision” in light of new information and our continuously expanding knowledge base. The movie was made in the style of such films as “What the bleep to we know” and “The Secret”. I think it is very well done and worth a look.

If you are interested in seeing the whole movie I know you can order it from the website like I did at TheLivingMatrixMovie.com

Let me know what you think by leaving your comment below.

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.

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.

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!

Advanced Pediatric Therapies opens in Vancouver

I had the pleasure of attending the open house for Advanced Pediatric Therapies, Inc., on February 17th, 2009 at their new location in Vancouver, WA. My friend, Sharron Donnelly, MS, OTR/L, is the co-owner and manages the new Vancouver office.

APT is a private pediatric occupational therapy practice which focuses on providing individualized, multi-faceted and holistic treatments for the children they see to enhance their physical, cognitive and social skills. The services they offer address such things as sensory integration, fine motor skills, postural stability, bilateral coordination and therapeutic listening just to name a few.

I highly recommend their services and encourage you to contact their office if you have concerns regarding your child’s needs. They also have an office in SW Portland.

You may get more information from their website here.

First video on Principles for Parents

I recently posted a short video on my blog. I was surprised to find it really wasn’t that hard to do. The wordpress and theme documentation told me exactly what to do. I hope to have more videos and slide shows to post as additional educational tools for parents. Remember that I have more information on my website PrinciplesforParents.com. I look forward to hearing your comments soon.

Work in progress…

I’m continuing to learn more about wordpress blogging. I’m also working on the Principles for Parents site to get more content up. The ebook called, “Energy Medicine Principles for Parents” is finished! I should be releasing it soon.

Energy Medicine Principles for Parents Coming Soon.

Welcome to my blog for parents. I’m Peter Hanfileti, MD.