The 5 Triggers of Inflammation: What They Are and How to Address Them

To some extent, we need inflammation in the body. (For example, an acute response to stop the bleeding if you cut yourself.) However, when inflammation goes unchecked, and the body keeps mounting an inflammatory response to the same trigger, it leads to chronic inflammation and disease. Integrative medicine teaches us that we need to look […]
Is Being Sick the New Normal? Inflammation’s Role in Recurrent Illness

50% of American children suffer from chronic illnesses—more than at any other time in our history. Check out these shocking stats… I talk a lot about inflammation in my book, Healthy Kids, Happy Moms. There’s a reason I keep coming back to it… inflammation plays a key role in our overall health (including how frequently […]
The ABC’s of Probiotics: Your Gut is like a Garden

A diverse and robust microbiome is critical to our overall health and immune function. Since 70% of the immune system resides in the gut, eating a diet high in fiber (vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds) and adding the right probiotics helps support that gut diversity. In my book, Healthy Kids, Happy Moms, I use a […]
Mold in Schools: How to Fight Back Against Environmental Toxins

Here’s a not-so-fun fact about mold… According to recent studies, up to 50% of schools in the U.S. have indoor air quality issues, which often lead to mold growth and contribute to exacerbations of asthma, allergies, and eczema among children.1 It’s definitely not an ideal situation, but no need to add a hazmat suit to […]
How to Combat Fall Allergies

Fall allergies can be just as troublesome for kids as the ones that come in spring. Let’s talk about allergy triggers and how to relieve them.
Food and Environmental Allergy Testing Part One

General pediatrics is filled with kids who have chronic runny noses, poorly controlled eczema and asthma, and many of them need allergy testing.
Asthma: Is Wheezing the First Sign?

When I know a child has an increased risk of asthma or any other type of inflammatory issue like allergies, constipation, or reflux, I look at the bigger picture and ask, How can I reduce this child’s overall systemic inflammation?
What Role does Genetics Play in Celiac Disease?

Celiac disease is more prevalent in people of Northern European descent. One can have symptoms without having celiac disease.
Inflammation and Recurrent Illness: A Parent’s Guide

Inflammation is an intricate, complex response by the whole body to what it perceives as a threat.
Grounding: Five Reasons to be Outside and Barefooted

Being barefooted and outside has many health benefits. My entire life, I have always gone barefooted as much as possible. It makes me feel good, and now that there is a growing body of research on grounding or earthing, I can justify my desired shoeless existence. And yes, I find it comical that we have […]