Healing the New Childhood Epidemics. Finished 3-23-17, rating 4.5/5, children’s health, 458 pages, pub. 2007

Doctors have generally overlooked the connections among the 4-A disorders, despite their concurrent rise and the presence of many medical clues. For years the medical establishment has considered autism medically untreatable and utterly incurable, and has limited ADHD treatment mainly to symptom suppression. Dr. Bock and his colleagues, however, have discovered a solution – one that goes to the root of the problem. They have found that deadly modern toxins, nutritional deficiencies, metabolic imbalances, genetic vulnerabilities and assaults on the immune and gastrointestinal systems trigger most of the symptoms of the 4-A disorders, resulting in frequent misdiagnosis and untold misery.  from Goodreads

Since this was first published in 2007 it’s probably not correct to call it groundbreaking, but for some parents whose children have just been diagnosed with one of these four conditions, it will be.  It’s a well laid out introduction to the biomedical approach of the 4-A’s (autism, ADHD, asthma, allergies).  To be fair, there is way more information on Autism and ADHD, but so many of the underlying health issues of all of these is similar.  Actually, of all the biomedical books I’ve read this one is most likely the best laid out, especially considering the four pronged approach Dr. Bock recommends.

As a mother with a few years of biomed under her belt I can say with certainty that this is a good starting place. I plan on starting one of his nutritional components tomorrow with a few new supplements to follow.  Also, it helped me put into focus the things that Gage’s integrative doctor has us working on right now and helped me clarify a few questions for when I talk to him next.

You can work through two of the four areas on your own, the nutritional and supplements, but your will need a doctor for detoxification and medication (if needed).

There are a few hot button issues that shouldn’t stop you from picking it up.  Like most integrative doctors I’ve met, listened to, and read, Dr. Bock believes that vaccines contribute to these conditions.  If I could only go into my own feelings on it, made even more clear by this book I would, but this post is not about that.  He believes that kids should be vaccinated and even provides a schedule that he considers safer, BUT #1 of his general safety guidelines is administer vaccinations only to abundantly healthy children.  This book will help you get your kid there if he or she isn’t already.

I took lots of notes, did a fair amount of highlighting and have a plan in place to move forward. I’d say the book served its purpose.