How to Raise a Healthy Child In Spite of Your Doctor

How to Raise a Healthy Child
In Spite of Your Doctor
by Dr. Robert Mendelsohn, MD

Dr. Robert Mendelsohn has dedicated his life to demystifying the medical profession, both as a renowned pediatrician for nearly thirty years and as the widely read author of Confessions of a Medical Heretic and other books. In this practical and informative guide, he turns his expertise to his own specialty, maintaining that parents tend to rely too heavily on their pediatricians and that they can take a more active role in determining which ailments require an office visit and which can be dealt with at home.

Introduction - xi

Most Things Get Better by Morning -- 1
Why most childhood illnesses do not require medical treatment, 
and needless treatment may do more harm than good 

Parents and Grandparents Are Wiser than Doctors -- 6 
Why you are a better guardian of your child's health 
than your doctor is; 
how to tell when your child is really sick; 
how to know when to call a doctor 

How Doctors Can Make Healthy Kids Sick -- 18 
Shortcomings of pediatricians; 
damage done by unnecessary treatment; 
invalidity of standard growth charts; 
why you should avoid routine 
physical examinations and well-baby checkups 

Protecting Your Children before They Are Born -- 30 
Threats to your child's health before he is conceived, 
during pregnancy, during labor, during delivery, 
and in the hospital nursery 

Proper Nutrition for Health and Growth -- 51 
The importance of breastfeeding; 
when to introduce solid foods; 
the pre-adolescent diet; 
why you should choose natural foods, 
unprocessed and untainted by chemical additives 

What You Should Expect of Your Child -- 63 
Why comparisons of physical and behavioral development 
don't make sense; 
common parental concerns about physical 
development and childhood behavior; 
what you have the right to expect and what you don't 

Fever: Your Body's Defense against Disease -- 73 
Exploring the myths about fever; 
what's "too high;" should fevers be controlled?; 
fever and convulsions; fever and brain damage; 
the value of fever in fighting disease 
— Quick Reference Guide to Fever -- 86 

Headache: Usually Emotional, but the Pain Is Real -- 89 
Causes of headaches; 
headaches as a symptom of disease; 
what treatment to give; 
when a doctor is needed 
— Quick Reference Guide to Headaches -- 99 

Mother, My Tummy Hurts! -- 102 
Causes of abdominal pain; 
when it requires treatment; 
emotional causes; 
allergies; appendicitis; poison 
— Quick Reference Guide to Abdominal Pain -- 109 

Coughs,. Sneezes, and Runny Noses -- 111 
Facts about the common cold and influenza; 
overtreatment of symptoms; 
misuse of antibiotics for viral infections; 
pneumonia; croup 
— Quick Reference Guide to Coughs, Colds, and Influenza -- 120 

The Mythical Menace of Strep Throat -- 123 
Causes of sore throat; 
misconceptions about strep, 
rheumatic fever, and rheumatic heart disease; 
beware of tonsillectomies 
— Quick Reference Guide to Sore Throats -- 136 

Earaches: Painful, Yes; Dangerous, Rarely -- 140 
Treatment of ear infections; 
objects in the ear; removing wax; 
use of antibiotics, tympanostomy; 
the once-feared mastoid; 
relieving pain; when to see a doctor 
— Quick Reference Guide to Earaches -- 151 

Protecting Your Child's Vision -- 153 
Value of periodic eye exams; 
glasses for children; 
crossed eyes; lazy eyes; 
conjunctivitis; styes; 
myths about eyes 
— Quick Reference Guide to Eye Problems -- 160 

Skin Problems: The Curse of Adolescence -- 162 
Diaper rash; heat rash; 
acne and Accutane; impetigo; 
eczema; ringworm 
— Quick Reference Guide to Skin Problems - 180 

Skeletons in the Orthopedic Closet -- 183 
Overtreatment of self-correcting conditions: 
flat feet, bowed legs, knock-knees, 
pigeon toes, congenital hip dysplasia, 
scoliosis; myths about shoes 
— Quick Reference Guide to Orthopedic Problems -- 189 

Accidental Injuries: Medicine at Its Best -- 191 
What to do when your child has an accident; 
cuts and abrasions; burns; 
head injuries; poisoning; 
sprains, strains, and fractures; 
choking; animal bites; frostbite; 
automobile accidents; household safety precautions 
— Quick Reference Guide to Accidental Injuries -- 210 
— Household Safety Precautions -- 211 

Asthma and Allergies: Try Diet, Not Drugs -- 213 
Allergies as the cause of illness; types of allergies; 
diagnosing allergic causes; use of elimination diets; 
hazards of drugs used in treatment; controlling asthma 
— Quick Reference Guide to Allergies -- 218 

The Child Who Never Sits Still -- 220 
Overdiagnosis of hyperactivity; dangers of drug treatment; 
dietary control of overactivity; 
sense and nonsense about learning disabilities; 
the inadequacy of psychological and psychiatric counseling 

Immunization against Disease: A Medical Time Bomb? -- 230 
The risks of immunization; 
is immunization beneficial and necessary? 
when to seek treatment for childhood diseases; 
symptoms and home treatment of chicken pox, mumps, 
measles, rubella, whooping cough, diphtheria, scarlet fever, 
meningitis, tuberculosis, SIDS, poliomyelitis, infectious mononucleosis 

Hospitals: Where Patients Go to Get Sick! -- 254 
Why you should avoid hospitalization of your child if possible; 
the frequency of hospital-caused illnesses; 
the emotional trauma of hospitalized children; 
how to protect your child in the hospital; 
needless surgery 

How to Select the Right Doctor for Your Child -- 260 
The threat posed by an excess of pediatricians; 
a doctor's psychological and financial incentives to overtreat patients; 
the hallmarks of a competent, conscientious pediatrician 

Author's References 
Index