A guest post by Dr. Anthony Carrino, who will be providing RNK readers with holistic insights into modern medicine, traditional medicine and the value of chiropractic care in upcoming posts!
It is an “in thing“ to say you are raising your kids naturally these days. Many parents are questioning the traditional model of care and searching for ways to implement holistic and more natural based strategies to improve their child’s health. From karate class and specialized diets to daily supplements and chiropractic care, parents are spending billions of dollars each year with the hope their investment pays off. With all of this in mind parents should make sure that they really understand what they are investing their hard earned money in.
There are major considerations to take into account when contemplating a move outside of the traditional medical model of healthcare. First, and above all not least, is finding a way to get your present pediatrician on board. The problem here is that the health train does not make many stops at the medical doctor’s office. A majority of the patients that most MD’s interact with each day are acutely sick and looking for relief with almost all care directed at a particular complaint. Think of the many times you presented your child to the pediatrician. In most cases it was usually because they were exhibiting symptoms like ear pain, persistent fever, moderate cough, congestion, etc. Did you ever stop and take the time to discuss your health goals for your child or was each visit merely focused on a way to abate their symptoms and reduce what you perceived as suffering? It’s a shame, but let’s face the facts: our present healthcare model does not create time to discuss ways to maintain optimal health due to the fact that most patient encounters are symptom or illness relief oriented.
Now that you have a bit of a reality check, it becomes important to do your research and simply define the reason why you want to take a proactive approach at keeping your child well. Most importantly is to understand that being well does not necessarily mean your child does not express symptoms. This is one of the most common misconceptions among parents attempting to implement healthier changes. When you live in a society that promotes drugs that treat any and every symptom your child might have, it is easy to confuse symptoms as the problem and not what actually causes them to occur. So it behooves parents to understand the following World Health Organization’s (WHO) definition of health.
“Health is defined as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity(illness).”
Another way to look at this is to understand the fact that health really does not have much to do with symptom expression or transiently named illnesses that your child might experience as they grow. It is more about how well your child is adapting to chemical, physical and emotional stress and how the parent reacts to this experience.
Over the next few weeks I will continue to discuss foundational health and strategies to consider when beginning a new direction and setting your child’s course for life long health.
Until then,
Dr. Carrino
Dr. Anthony Carrino is the immediate past president of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association and present member of its board of directors. He is an international lecturer and has taught pediatric wellness protocols to thousands of doctors across the globe. He is a 1989 graduate of Life Chiropractic University and has been in private practice for 21 years as clinic director of the Chiropractic Family Wellness Centre in West Islip, New York.
Thank you so much for your time. Looking forward to reading more.