Book Review

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 14 Issue 37

Upcoming Podcast and Current Book Review.

For all parents who love the content of this newsletter, I have a book for you to enjoy. It is a comprehensive look at parenting a child in modern times through the struggles of food, technology, stress and life in general.

My good friend Elisa Song is a Stanford, NYU and UCSF trained pediatrician and lover of children. In her recently published book, Healthy Kids, Happy Kids, she offers a comprehensive and integrative approach to pediatric health that will resonate deeply with today’s parents who seek to navigate the complexities of modern healthcare and modern life. Dr. Song’s dual expertise as a pediatrician and a mother is evident in her compassionate and practical guidance. Much like the work of our mentor Sandy Newmark, her book is relatable but more importantly scientifically grounded.

At the heart of Dr. Song’s philosophy is the idea that optimal health for children is not just the absence of disease but a state of overall well-being or optimal health, including: physical, emotional, and mental states. She emphasizes the importance of nutrition, advocating for whole, unprocessed foods while addressing the impacts of common allergens/intolerances, sugar, and artificial additives on children’s health. Her dietary recommendations are backed by a solid understanding of how nutrition influences immunity, inflammation, behavior, long-term development and ultimately chronic disease.

Plus, a discussion on cancer, autoimmunity in children post Covid…

Enjoy,

Dr. M

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 14 Issue 18

Unraveling the Mysteries of the Amygdala: A review of a section of the book Behave by Robert Sapolsky
In the world of neuroscience, Robert Sapolsky stands as a luminary, a maestro of unraveling the intricate dance of our brain’s circuitry. Among the many deep dives that he delves into, his perspective on the amygdala resonates profoundly for me. The amygdala emerges not as a mere anatomical curiosity as he decides that rather than reducing the amygdala to a simplistic seat of fear and aggression, he highlights its diverse functions, emphasizing its involvement in the vast array of behaviors and experiences. It is a narrative view of the why the brain developed as it did to aid us in the fight against pathogens, predators and stress. Sapolsky’s take on the amygdala is nothing short of revelatory, akin to a seasoned detective peeling away layers of a perplexing case. There are diverse neuronal pathways in this almond-shaped structure nestled deep within our temporal lobes and they have profound purpose. The amygdala emerges not merely as a primal seat of fear and aggression, but as a nuanced orchestrator of our emotional lives. All mammals have emotional responses that are split second to threat, joy and relationship. This is mediated……Plus a section on DNA and memory. Finally, a recipe.
Enjoy,
Dr. M

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 14 Issue 8

Literature Review
1) Cancer is now a unique risk factor for Cardiovascular disease according to recent research. This is being discussed as a point of emphasis for those that have been diagnosed with cancer as the knowledge is a wake up alarm to the biological underpinnings of these disparate immune based diseases. (Melchiori R. et. al. 2023) If you have a strong family history of cancer and heart disease as I do, this data needs to be understood for a prevention lens focus. In a few weeksx I will be discussing APOE genotypes for understanding these realities.
2) In a translational model, sulphurophane increases mitochondrial biogenesis…..Plus a continuous glucose monitor experiment and more from Alison Gopnik’s book.
Enjoy,
Dr. M

Healthy Kids, Happy Moms by Sheila Kilbane M.D., (Book Review Pedcast)

 

Introduction
Welcome to another installment of DocSmo.com, also known as Women and Children First podcast. I’ve taken a hiatus from weekly posts for the past year but I haven’t stopped exploring pediatrics and parenting. Today, I’m going to review a new book by Dr. Sheila Kilbane called “Healthy Kids, Happy Moms”. Those of you who are long time DocSmo.com followers will recognize Dr. Kilbane’s name as she has been a frequent guest on my podcast in the past. Her interviews have been very popular. Now, she has stepped up to being a published author/educator. If after reading my comments you are interested in getting a copy of her book, buy it with the link provided in this post and help support DocSmo.com. You will get Amazon’s best price and a they will throw a few cents to support my blog.

Purpose of Book
Dr. Kilbane has told me numerous times in the past that she is trying to change American pediatric healthcare. After reading Healthy Kids, Happy Moms, I now understand what she meant; a new paradigm to providing health guidance for children with common chronic medical problems. Dr. Kilbane seems to be getting in on the ground level of change by adopting a wider view of disease in children. A quick Amazon book search only revealed two other books with an “Integrative” approach to pediatric medicine. Readers with children suffering from various chronic diseases will benefit most from her writing, introducing the basic concepts of integrative medicine to readers and providing parents with a roadmap to recovery. The topics most discussed are ones all too familiar to parents of young children; chronic constipation, eczema, asthma, food allergies, and recurring ear infections. As she points out, the percentage of children suffering from one of these disorders has been steadily increasing. HKHM says it’s time to try a new approach and presents a clear roadmap to doing so.

Characteristics of Book
Dr. Kilbane has done her homework not only in the research she presents in her book, but also in its presentation. I found the graphics easily understandable and pleasing to the eye. By using the same color scheme throughout the book, the reader is gently introduced to a lot of material in a cohesive way. As I read HKHM, I never felt overwhelmed. Dr. Kilbane’s storytelling ability and her revelations about her own health struggles during childhood, add a pleasing intimacy to her book. The strongest adjectives I can use to describe HKHMs are informative, practical, and well presented.

Criticisms
Providers of healthcare are in the business of offering advice and treatments that is intended to help mitigate or prevent disease. This is our core mission. Pediatricians, whether integrative like Dr. Kilbane or traditionally trained like myself, come at children’s health problems with a set of beliefs and assumptions that evolve and change over time. Take for instance the recent revelation that the treating of young children’s ear infections with antibiotics may have long term negative consequence for the health. Similarly, could today’s anti-inflammatory diet become tomorrow’s nutrient deficient one? I don’t know. While I believe that integrative medicine has moved healthcare advice in the right direction and that much of what they advocate has proven correct, ten years from now we may look back at some of today’s recommendations and see that such advice was shortsighted or not appropriate for all children.

HKHM presents a number of emerging theories as if they are facts, specifically inflammation underpinning all chronic disease, process foods causing leaky gut, and processed food being the proximate cause of damaging inflammation in a child’s body. While these theories may hold up to the test of time, there is a chance that they may not. I feel like this is important for parents to keep in mind as they make decisions about their children’s diet.

And finally, like so much of healthcare, I think its practitioners often over promise results of their advice and under estimate the expense and time commitment required for families to adopt a new lifestyle. Additionally, the natural history of many of the chronic conditions Dr. Kilbane focuses on is improvement and disappearance with time, making it all the more difficult to determine whether it’s the integrative approach is actually working or simply the tincture of time.

Summary
HKHM is a well written, engaging book for parents who are looking for an integrative health approach (primarily dietary) to their children’s well-being. For those parents looking for an alternative approach to many of pediatrics most common chronic health problems, this is a valuable and practical resource. I hope it is well read by today’s parents. The science and recommendations are presented in a clear and understandable fashion. In summary, parents who have children with many chronic common health problems and who are willing to embark on a course of elimination diets and supplements, will derive great benefit from this book. I give it 5/5 Doc Smo stars.

Dr. Paul Smolen “Docsmo”

Link to Book: Healthy Kids, Happy Moms

 

Dr. M’s Women and Children First Podcast – Journal Club #2 with Andrew Brackins MSIV -TBI/Concussion and Fish Oil

Journal Club #2 with Andrew Brackins MSIV

Topic today – Traumatic brain injury or concussion is a significant problem in young adults and children. What do we know about the reasons why some people suffer longer term symptoms? What can we do to mitigate risk going forward? Fish oil is an omega 3 fatty acid that has recently gained attention as a possible therapeutic pre and post head trauma. Let us explore the head injury landscape together in this Journal Club episode.

Enjoy,

Dr. M

Dr. M’s Women and Children First Podcast – Journal Club #1 with Andrew Brackins MSIII and Zach Strong, FNP – Milk and Health, Multi Inflammatory Syndrome

Journal Club #1 with Andrew Brackins MSIII and Zach Strong, FNP –

Topic #1 – Milk and Health – Is milk necessary for health? Is it possibly unhealthy? Do we need it for bone health? What are the milk based diseases of intolerance and allergy. These questions and more are explored.

Multi Inflammatory Syndrome – Dr. Alessio Fasano has published some landmark research on children who suffer a post COVID inflammatory disease that is deadly. We break down his research and what we can takeaway from it for health.

Enjoy,

Dr. M

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