If you are curious about my own private practice in Vancouver, Washington, our clinic website has more details, and it is called Points of Origin, PLLC.

Please leave your comments and feedback below. And stay tuned for more video episodes coming up on this topic and others.

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.

Dr Brazelton’s Touchpoints

I am a big fan of Dr T Berry Brazelton and his Touchpoints philosophy. As a fellow pediatrician I have had similar feelings as Dr Brazelton with regards to the changes that have taken place in our medical system. As physicians, we have all experienced changes in the way we practice medicine in the last couple of decades.

I like the short video embedded below which details the Touchpoints philosophy. Dr Brazelton and the other providers on the video stress the importance of parents as partners in the process which I whole-heartedly agree with. As parents, you are by far the most influential people in your children’s lives so it makes sense to support your role with as much encouragement and knowledge we can give you.

The common scenario where a child is about to make developmental gains often brings with it some regression in other areas. I have seen this time and again in my practice, and Dr Brazelton reinforces the need for balance and understanding while this is happening. Once you as parents realize this is part of the overall process it can really take the pressure off of you and provide an opportunity for growth and understanding for all members of your family.

The team approach discussed in the video includes all those involved in your child’s development, not just the parents and the doctor. This is also very much in line with my way of thinking and I would add that the decision of who is included in this partnership should be up to the family and their practitioners, not any outside agencies (like insurance companies).

Finally, I really like the way Dr Brazelton emphasizes the need for a paradigm shift, wherein we go from looking at failures and problem areas that a child might have (which inevitably leads to diagnoses, tests, medications, etc.) and rather looking at the positive gains the child has made and seeing the good aspects through the child’s own experience.

In my practice I use a framework that is very similar in philosophy with Touchpoints. I highly recommend that you watch this short video now and then explore Dr Brazelton’s Touchpoints site. If you have any comments or questions, use the form below.