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Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies: The Groundbreaking Program for the 4-A Disorders
Autism is an It has spiked 1,500 percent in the last twenty years. ADHD, asthma and allergies have also skyrocketed over the same time period. One of these conditions now strikes one in every three children in America. But there is hope. Leading medical innovator Kenneth Bock, M.D., has helped change the lives of more than a thousand children, and in this important book, with a comprehensive program that targets all four of the 4-A disorders, he offers help to children everywhere. This is the book that finally puts hope within reach.
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.
Dr. Bock’s remarkable Healing Program, drawing on medical research and based on years of clinical success, offers a safe, sensible solution that is individualized to each child to help remedy these root causes. The biomedical approach to autism, ADHD, and the other 4-A epidemics, as innovated by Dr. Bock and some of America’s finest integrative physicians, is one of the most promising and exciting medical movements of our time.
In this eminently readable account, written by Dr. Bock in collaboration with critically acclaimed author Cameron Stauth, you will meet children and parents whose dramatic stories will inspire you to change the life of your own child. This program may be the help that you have been praying for.
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.
Dr. Bock’s remarkable Healing Program, drawing on medical research and based on years of clinical success, offers a safe, sensible solution that is individualized to each child to help remedy these root causes. The biomedical approach to autism, ADHD, and the other 4-A epidemics, as innovated by Dr. Bock and some of America’s finest integrative physicians, is one of the most promising and exciting medical movements of our time.
In this eminently readable account, written by Dr. Bock in collaboration with critically acclaimed author Cameron Stauth, you will meet children and parents whose dramatic stories will inspire you to change the life of your own child. This program may be the help that you have been praying for.
458 pages, Hardcover
First published April 10, 2007
85 people are currently reading
750 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
April 28, 2011
From the start when it includes information that claims that vaccines cause Autism, to the diet-book style inspirational stories of people who have overcome these problems on this program, to the insanely involved series of testing, dietary rules and chelation that it prescribes, I had no use for this book.
April 11, 2011
This book was recommended in another book I read, The Unhealthy Truth, as well as on a couple of allergy and gluten-free blogs I read. I think this book is an excellent read even if you don't have a child that suffers from one of the 4-A disorders.
There is so much information in here about our food and our world that really applies to everyone.
I guess some of the controversy of this book is that it references the Wakefield study which has now been discredited. I would be really interested to know what the author thinks about that and how it has impacted the way he does things, if at all.
That aside, however, there is a lot of other information and research that he provides about vaccines and other factors that have contributed to the rise in these specific childhood epidemics as well as cancer, diabetes, obesity, and learning disabilities. Basically, our planet is becoming increasingly toxic and we are putting lots of toxins into our bodies by breathing, eating food and many other things.
I guess one of the things that shocked me when I was reading reviews of this book here and elsewhere is the number of people who said that the healing program and specifically the gluten-free, casein-free portion of the program could never work for their child or their family and that it would just be impossible without even trying it. There were also a lot if reviews that focused on that diet and nothing else really.
After actually reading the book, I was pleased to find that there really is so much more to his program and to the book than just that already much publicized diet. The author takes an integrated approach to medicine that I find refreshing.
It goes beyond looking at a few symptoms to thorough testing, diet, therapy, behavior modification, supplementation, detoxification, etc. and all tailored to each patient's specific needs and problems. And it really is about trying to find the root of the problem rather than treating symptoms.
After reading this book, I am inspired to try and find a family doctor that takes more of this approach rather than a quick look in the ears and a prescription for antibiotics.
There is so much information in here about our food and our world that really applies to everyone.
I guess some of the controversy of this book is that it references the Wakefield study which has now been discredited. I would be really interested to know what the author thinks about that and how it has impacted the way he does things, if at all.
That aside, however, there is a lot of other information and research that he provides about vaccines and other factors that have contributed to the rise in these specific childhood epidemics as well as cancer, diabetes, obesity, and learning disabilities. Basically, our planet is becoming increasingly toxic and we are putting lots of toxins into our bodies by breathing, eating food and many other things.
I guess one of the things that shocked me when I was reading reviews of this book here and elsewhere is the number of people who said that the healing program and specifically the gluten-free, casein-free portion of the program could never work for their child or their family and that it would just be impossible without even trying it. There were also a lot if reviews that focused on that diet and nothing else really.
After actually reading the book, I was pleased to find that there really is so much more to his program and to the book than just that already much publicized diet. The author takes an integrated approach to medicine that I find refreshing.
It goes beyond looking at a few symptoms to thorough testing, diet, therapy, behavior modification, supplementation, detoxification, etc. and all tailored to each patient's specific needs and problems. And it really is about trying to find the root of the problem rather than treating symptoms.
After reading this book, I am inspired to try and find a family doctor that takes more of this approach rather than a quick look in the ears and a prescription for antibiotics.
October 17, 2013
So I only read the first half. The second half goes into very specific detail about the Healing Program and how to put your kid on it with a doctor's help and I'm not interested in doing that.
This book was hard for me to read because half of me is a nurse with a science background and the other half is a mom who takes a very "granola" approach to mommyhood ( little to no electronics, whole foods, books and balls instead of plastic). I was rubbed the wrong way when almost every anecdotal story contained symptoms that started right after the kid getting a vaccine. I do believe that everything in our body is interconnected and all that is connected to our emotions and "spirituality" so the potential for a ripple effect, even if just one thing is off, is huge. I do agree with the author that childhood nutritional deficiencies play a huge role is these 4 epidemics, and other problems. working at a pediatric clinic gives me a unique perspective on this. I've already found at work the pattern of kids with asthma also having some pretty severe allergies.
I guess the lesson learned from this, as a parent, (or rather, a reminder the book gave me) is it is up to me and my husband to fight for our kid, so to speak. Give him every advantage we can. If that means shelling out more money on organic food for at least the "dirty dozen", so be it. If we need to alter his vaccine schedule so that he gets his vaccines over 5 years instead of 2, let's take our time doing it. we can still be smart in which ones we're giving him and agree that he will eventually be fully vaccinated, but I'm not too concerned about him contracting Hepatitis A at this point. If I need to run the dishwasher 2 times a day because I'm cooking and preparing food for him so that he doesn't have to eat goldfish (and who doesn't love goldfish?), then I need to make an effort to do that. If I want my kid to think being active is just a normal part of daily life, then I need to model that as well.
I still believe the old adage is true: genetics load the gun and environment pulls the trigger.
This book was hard for me to read because half of me is a nurse with a science background and the other half is a mom who takes a very "granola" approach to mommyhood ( little to no electronics, whole foods, books and balls instead of plastic). I was rubbed the wrong way when almost every anecdotal story contained symptoms that started right after the kid getting a vaccine. I do believe that everything in our body is interconnected and all that is connected to our emotions and "spirituality" so the potential for a ripple effect, even if just one thing is off, is huge. I do agree with the author that childhood nutritional deficiencies play a huge role is these 4 epidemics, and other problems. working at a pediatric clinic gives me a unique perspective on this. I've already found at work the pattern of kids with asthma also having some pretty severe allergies.
I guess the lesson learned from this, as a parent, (or rather, a reminder the book gave me) is it is up to me and my husband to fight for our kid, so to speak. Give him every advantage we can. If that means shelling out more money on organic food for at least the "dirty dozen", so be it. If we need to alter his vaccine schedule so that he gets his vaccines over 5 years instead of 2, let's take our time doing it. we can still be smart in which ones we're giving him and agree that he will eventually be fully vaccinated, but I'm not too concerned about him contracting Hepatitis A at this point. If I need to run the dishwasher 2 times a day because I'm cooking and preparing food for him so that he doesn't have to eat goldfish (and who doesn't love goldfish?), then I need to make an effort to do that. If I want my kid to think being active is just a normal part of daily life, then I need to model that as well.
I still believe the old adage is true: genetics load the gun and environment pulls the trigger.
August 10, 2011
August 7
My head is spinning from all the information crammed into the first 186 pages. This first section is full of case studies and a sort of history of the author's development of his Healing Program. His belief/theory that each of these diagnoses is related to the others makes sense to me as I'm just beginning my journey with a son diagnosed with all four of the 4-A Disorders (Aspbergers, not autism).
August 9
And I thought there was a lot of information in the first section! Today I "read" the second section of the book - The Healing Program itself. I didn't read every word, but skimmed and read the parts that I felt were pertinent to my family at the moment. It's all so overwhelming. Dr. Bock's Healing Program is very involved. If I had a child with severe symptoms of any of the 4-A disorders, I would jump right in. For now, I am letting all the information float around in my brain as I learn more and read more and talk to more people.
I think the book was well written, not boring despite its "heavy" topic. It is definitely extremely biased, but I don't know how he could have written this book without it being biased. Dr. Bock gives a lot of credibility to mom's intuition throughout the book, which helps me feel like I'm on the right path, even though I'm seriously overwhelmed right now.
My head is spinning from all the information crammed into the first 186 pages. This first section is full of case studies and a sort of history of the author's development of his Healing Program. His belief/theory that each of these diagnoses is related to the others makes sense to me as I'm just beginning my journey with a son diagnosed with all four of the 4-A Disorders (Aspbergers, not autism).
August 9
And I thought there was a lot of information in the first section! Today I "read" the second section of the book - The Healing Program itself. I didn't read every word, but skimmed and read the parts that I felt were pertinent to my family at the moment. It's all so overwhelming. Dr. Bock's Healing Program is very involved. If I had a child with severe symptoms of any of the 4-A disorders, I would jump right in. For now, I am letting all the information float around in my brain as I learn more and read more and talk to more people.
I think the book was well written, not boring despite its "heavy" topic. It is definitely extremely biased, but I don't know how he could have written this book without it being biased. Dr. Bock gives a lot of credibility to mom's intuition throughout the book, which helps me feel like I'm on the right path, even though I'm seriously overwhelmed right now.
May 21, 2009
I thought some of this information was very interesting, but I didn't like Bock's dramatic style. It was a complete turn off to read one example exploited over and over as a great tragedy that could be happening to lots of kids but was just a fluke accident that happened to one known child in the US. Also he doesn't even comment on people with genuine problems. People with "classic autism" aren't even considered. He says they are rare. That's it. There's nothing he can do for them, and he basically says that living with autism shouldn't even be an option, their lifestyle is so inhuman that it must be cured ASAP. People who are autistic can't get over it. I don't know how he can be so doomsday when he's only speaking to the audience of people he can cure because they are ONLY demonstrating the SYMPTOMS of the 4-A disorders, they don't actually HAVE the 4-A disorders. That doesn't really make sense.
I think he should say, look at how these people can be cured. Not everyone can be cured, but let's see what we can do to help as many people as we can.
I think he should say, look at how these people can be cured. Not everyone can be cured, but let's see what we can do to help as many people as we can.
June 20, 2011
Full disclosure: I have a son with a PDD-NOS diagnosis.
I think the author's premise that current approaches to treating the 4-A disorders focus only on symptoms and not root causes is correct. I value his quest for revealing the root causes of an individual's particular disorder. Unfortunately, Bock cites the research of A. Wakefield on more than one occasion, which, I think, throws the validity of any of Bock's arguments into peril. Also, Bock's authorial tone was very self-serving, which was a turn off. I intend to follow some of his recommendations to see if they might improve my son's symptoms, but I think I've got to draw the line at anything that will disrupt the sanity of the rest of my family.
I think the author's premise that current approaches to treating the 4-A disorders focus only on symptoms and not root causes is correct. I value his quest for revealing the root causes of an individual's particular disorder. Unfortunately, Bock cites the research of A. Wakefield on more than one occasion, which, I think, throws the validity of any of Bock's arguments into peril. Also, Bock's authorial tone was very self-serving, which was a turn off. I intend to follow some of his recommendations to see if they might improve my son's symptoms, but I think I've got to draw the line at anything that will disrupt the sanity of the rest of my family.
December 3, 2025
This is a very intense read and I am full of sympathy for some of the people portrayed in it. Dealing with intractable health issues in your children is heart-wrenching.
It is also intense in the level of detail and information in the book, especially the last few chapters. It's hard to know what to make of this book -- how a reader is intended to use it. Perhaps as a helpful carry-along to a doctor's appointment? A primer on integrative medicine as a whole? A quack trying to bypass the peer-review process and get his theories into the world?
I found this book in a mom group. The commenter said "ignore the anti-vax stuff, there's a lot of great content." I have to agree with her. I opened it with trepidation. After all, we live in a post-covid world where your stance on vaccines is a political identity. Certainly reading Andrew Wakefield namechecked as an esteemed colleague gave me pause. Do I trust the research here? Is it even research, or just "research"?
So let me take a step back and talk about functional vs mainstream medicine.
Mainstream doctors work with definites. If something is thoroughly vetted and proven, they believe in it. If something makes it through FDA approval, they prescribe it. If something is in nascent development, they dismiss it.
However, there is a vast space between "nascent development" and "real" or "fake". (This is why, a decade ago, "gluten intolerance" was something we sniggered at and today it's in the department name after "Celiac.")
Functional medicine doctors operate in this foggy space. A mainstream doctor says "there isn't strong evidence for that, so we don't do it." A functional medicine doc says "there's emerging evidence for this, so let's try it." Some of what they try will be useless, but they will try.
Functional medicine doctors also have lower barriers of evidence for certain conditions and will proceed to treatment at a point where a mainstream doctor would still be insisting that you prove you have the problem. They also believe in problems that mainstream medicine doesn't acknowledge at all. Functional medicine views symptoms as the expression of an entire system out of whack. Mainstream docs tend to view things through the lens of their specialty, and the symptom is the problem.
Just as an example: at one point I was taking one of my kids to a psychologist for his emotional regulation, a psychiatrist for his ADHD, an OT for his sensory-seeking behavior, and a GI for his constipation. The pediatrician dismissed his excruciating cramps as "growing pains" and a non-issue. Each mainstream practitioner saw only their part of the puzzle. However, when we took the kid off gluten, within three months all these problems vanished. They were all connected via one stressed out system. This is the pattern functional doctors look for and mainstream doctors do not. (I have hauled all my kids to multiple GIs and not a single one asked about behavioral issues.)
I'm not trying to sell you on functional medicine -- this is more an explanation of what this book is. Gluten removal is just one thing they try. if it doesn't work they have more ideas. Most may not work. But some might.
Dr Bock says some wacky stuff in here because he's operating on the fringe of modern medicine, trying things to see what works, and plowing ahead with things that only work sometimes, often with incomplete theories about why they work at all. He uses subjective info like "this percent of parents said this therapy helped their child." Everyone in this book is flying a little blind, and in the time since it's been published, more progress has been made. It is dated. There are better books for the concerned parent who wants to know "WHAT SHOULD I DO?"
But it gives you a very thorough tour of the overall theories of functional medicine and how it operates so you can understand why your medical journey is so frustrating, and how you might want to proceed and what alternative treatment might look like.
It is also intense in the level of detail and information in the book, especially the last few chapters. It's hard to know what to make of this book -- how a reader is intended to use it. Perhaps as a helpful carry-along to a doctor's appointment? A primer on integrative medicine as a whole? A quack trying to bypass the peer-review process and get his theories into the world?
I found this book in a mom group. The commenter said "ignore the anti-vax stuff, there's a lot of great content." I have to agree with her. I opened it with trepidation. After all, we live in a post-covid world where your stance on vaccines is a political identity. Certainly reading Andrew Wakefield namechecked as an esteemed colleague gave me pause. Do I trust the research here? Is it even research, or just "research"?
So let me take a step back and talk about functional vs mainstream medicine.
Mainstream doctors work with definites. If something is thoroughly vetted and proven, they believe in it. If something makes it through FDA approval, they prescribe it. If something is in nascent development, they dismiss it.
However, there is a vast space between "nascent development" and "real" or "fake". (This is why, a decade ago, "gluten intolerance" was something we sniggered at and today it's in the department name after "Celiac.")
Functional medicine doctors operate in this foggy space. A mainstream doctor says "there isn't strong evidence for that, so we don't do it." A functional medicine doc says "there's emerging evidence for this, so let's try it." Some of what they try will be useless, but they will try.
Functional medicine doctors also have lower barriers of evidence for certain conditions and will proceed to treatment at a point where a mainstream doctor would still be insisting that you prove you have the problem. They also believe in problems that mainstream medicine doesn't acknowledge at all. Functional medicine views symptoms as the expression of an entire system out of whack. Mainstream docs tend to view things through the lens of their specialty, and the symptom is the problem.
Just as an example: at one point I was taking one of my kids to a psychologist for his emotional regulation, a psychiatrist for his ADHD, an OT for his sensory-seeking behavior, and a GI for his constipation. The pediatrician dismissed his excruciating cramps as "growing pains" and a non-issue. Each mainstream practitioner saw only their part of the puzzle. However, when we took the kid off gluten, within three months all these problems vanished. They were all connected via one stressed out system. This is the pattern functional doctors look for and mainstream doctors do not. (I have hauled all my kids to multiple GIs and not a single one asked about behavioral issues.)
I'm not trying to sell you on functional medicine -- this is more an explanation of what this book is. Gluten removal is just one thing they try. if it doesn't work they have more ideas. Most may not work. But some might.
Dr Bock says some wacky stuff in here because he's operating on the fringe of modern medicine, trying things to see what works, and plowing ahead with things that only work sometimes, often with incomplete theories about why they work at all. He uses subjective info like "this percent of parents said this therapy helped their child." Everyone in this book is flying a little blind, and in the time since it's been published, more progress has been made. It is dated. There are better books for the concerned parent who wants to know "WHAT SHOULD I DO?"
But it gives you a very thorough tour of the overall theories of functional medicine and how it operates so you can understand why your medical journey is so frustrating, and how you might want to proceed and what alternative treatment might look like.
February 22, 2010
Didn't read the entire book, BUT what I read I felt was very worthwhile. My 3 year old daughter doesn't have any of the 4-A disorders, but a friend of mine with a little boy (also 3) who has had severe reflux/gut/allergy issues for his entire life recommended this book to me for the vaccination section part of the book in preparation for our next baby. I loved the foreword. And, yes, what I found MOST useful was the information on delayed vaccination (ie: the delayed vaccination schedule)- as I am 7 months pregnant and really wanted a firm delayed vaccination schedule to have in mind as we begin this journey again very soon. I am going to do things very differently this time from the start as far as vaccinating goes (of course I will still choose to vaccinate, but it will be delayed based on many factors and until the tiny immune system is more built up and can handle such toxins better). For me it is no question, why take a chance with such epidemics/ disorders?! Personally, I think this is a must-read for all parents, not just ones with a child/children who have one of the 4-A disorders!
February 12, 2008
I picked this book up because I was interested in finding more natural ways to treat my allergies. I found the information helpful to tie together and explain many things I have wondered about for years. I especially enjoy the way the author treats diseases in the human body holistically, even though he came out of the standard MD background.
October 18, 2009
I loved this book, easy to read, well written. It really helped me to understand how all these childhood epidemics are related to immune system functions and how vaccination can be a contributing factor, among other things, and the value of natural therapies, of which my own family has found beneficial.
May 9, 2012
I loved this book! I recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about healing the body, as opposed to medicating symptoms. This is a very balanced, well-written approach with some amazing outcomes. Dr. Bock has opened my mind and changed my life.
February 10, 2009
A quote from Publisher's Weekly says, "According to the authors, genetics "load the gun, and environment pulls the trigger": bodily toxins like heavy metals, exposure to viruses through vaccination and poor nutrition create "a veritable perfect storm of physical and neurological insult" that hits hardest those still developing their immune systems. In case studies, Bock approaches each patient like a puzzle waiting to be solved, a refreshing, multi-pronged strategy to healing: finding and treating the root cause of illness rather than its symptoms, reducing the body's toxin load and helping the body heal itself through nutritional and medical therapy."
I think this is an invaluable book. The resources it provides, the plans it provides and again the hope it can give is priceless. Thanks to this book I am confident that Braeden will continue to grow stronger and so will the rest of my family.
More of my own review at http://scrink.com/blog/bookclub/bookc...
I think this is an invaluable book. The resources it provides, the plans it provides and again the hope it can give is priceless. Thanks to this book I am confident that Braeden will continue to grow stronger and so will the rest of my family.
More of my own review at http://scrink.com/blog/bookclub/bookc...
August 30, 2009
I'll admit up front that I only skimmed the highly medical portions of the book, though I'm sure those portions are helpful for those who are looking for it. What I really gained from this book is the realization of how incredibly important my role as a parent is in being an advocate for my child with any health or mental issues he may have. And for parents of children who may be suffering intensely from any of the 4-A disorders, this book is very hopeful.
October 27, 2009
This man is amazing and claims to be able to "cure" some children with autism. This is a must read for anyone with a child on the autism spectrum. Between this book and The Unhealthy Truth, it is becoming very clear to me why these things are so much more prevalent now than they used to be. He also has an interesting take on vaccinations that all parents should read. Now no more nonfiction for awhile so I can go back to sleeping at night.
February 11, 2010
My mom told me about this book in light of Carmody's ongoing health problems. The premise is that some immune systems get overwhelmed by environmental pollutants, leading to the escalating childhood epeidemics. The second half of the book describes this doctor's system of detoxing and healing through diet. Makes a lot of sense to me. A watershed book for me in changing my view of disease.
April 12, 2009
Let me start off by saying, I fully believe that there are two types of Autism. The genetic kind, and the environmental kind. I think that those who are genetically wired can't really be saved by the practices in this book. Who knows, I could be wrong. I think that kids who suffer from the environmental Autism can be help by some of the practices in this book, but I think it comes with a very steep price and I have to say that once I figured out that he was a DAN! doctor, I was largely turned off by this book. The stories he tells about saving the children he has are absolutely without a doubt amazing. I don't discredit that and I think that's an accomplishment to be proud of. I don't judge parents that practice the DAN! mantra if you will, but it's just not my cup of tea and seems to me like it's very cult-ish. A lot of it is also not only very expensive, but very invasive and maybe that's why I wasn't that much of a fan of this book.
My son was displaying "red flags" for Autistic behaviors, which of course, is devastating for any parent to hear. We were in the process of "greening" a lot of our routines. We had gotten rid of nearly all of our toxic and chemical house cleaners. We were already eating preservative free foods, usually organic and at the very least, all natural. We seeked out the help of a well known Ayurvedic physician in our area who has done wonders for helping our son, in a much less invasive and gentler way. I can't say for sure whether or not all of this has helped him, or if it was just coincidence. That road was the one that was untraveled.
For us, the gluten-free casein-free diet would just not have fit for us. For one, environmentally, my son was not allergic to gluten or casein. I never had him tested, but he's never shown any different behaviors, and I knew in my heart that he didn't have those allergies. So for me, they seem to take a one approach fits all in this book and I know that this is really not the case.
For the parents that the DAN! protocol worked for, great, but realize that this is just not for everyone, and also realize that you'll most likely have to remortgage your house and take out a second loan. It's great inspiration, but it gives parents who may not be able to afford such treatments a false sense of hope.
My son was displaying "red flags" for Autistic behaviors, which of course, is devastating for any parent to hear. We were in the process of "greening" a lot of our routines. We had gotten rid of nearly all of our toxic and chemical house cleaners. We were already eating preservative free foods, usually organic and at the very least, all natural. We seeked out the help of a well known Ayurvedic physician in our area who has done wonders for helping our son, in a much less invasive and gentler way. I can't say for sure whether or not all of this has helped him, or if it was just coincidence. That road was the one that was untraveled.
For us, the gluten-free casein-free diet would just not have fit for us. For one, environmentally, my son was not allergic to gluten or casein. I never had him tested, but he's never shown any different behaviors, and I knew in my heart that he didn't have those allergies. So for me, they seem to take a one approach fits all in this book and I know that this is really not the case.
For the parents that the DAN! protocol worked for, great, but realize that this is just not for everyone, and also realize that you'll most likely have to remortgage your house and take out a second loan. It's great inspiration, but it gives parents who may not be able to afford such treatments a false sense of hope.
May 22, 2018
The book was well-written, and kept me reading. The authors did an excellent job explaining all the medical terminology in a way that lay people can understand. I do wish they would have shown how to pronounce the many medications and medical terms, as I felt I was pronouncing several wrong in my head. The book was extremely insightful, nonetheless! Although the book is about the "4"-A disorders, it seemed that the main focus was on Autism.
For those who are skeptical about vaccination themes in the book, the authors state "We are not anti-vaccine. We are pro safer vaccine," and they include a recommended safer vaccine schedule at the close of the book. Regardless of your stance on the vaccination parts of the book, it is still a wealth of information, especially on nutritional, supplemental, medicinal, etc., health and information. The topic of vaccines "takes a back seat" in several chapters of the book, as nutritional therapy is a major focus of the book, as seen in the many chapters that explain specific food restriction diets, such as the GF/CF, Yest-free, and others. Regardless, I do think it's worth "hearing" what he has to say about (the mercury/thimerosal/metal preservatives within) vaccines. You might be surprised. It's not what you probably think you'll hear.
Speaking of the authors, I don't remember them explaining who Cameron Stauth is, as it seems the entire book is through the eyes of Dr. Kenneth Bock, with the book being even written in first person. I was hoping for some explanation. Not a big deal to me, though.
For those who are skeptical about vaccination themes in the book, the authors state "We are not anti-vaccine. We are pro safer vaccine," and they include a recommended safer vaccine schedule at the close of the book. Regardless of your stance on the vaccination parts of the book, it is still a wealth of information, especially on nutritional, supplemental, medicinal, etc., health and information. The topic of vaccines "takes a back seat" in several chapters of the book, as nutritional therapy is a major focus of the book, as seen in the many chapters that explain specific food restriction diets, such as the GF/CF, Yest-free, and others. Regardless, I do think it's worth "hearing" what he has to say about (the mercury/thimerosal/metal preservatives within) vaccines. You might be surprised. It's not what you probably think you'll hear.
Speaking of the authors, I don't remember them explaining who Cameron Stauth is, as it seems the entire book is through the eyes of Dr. Kenneth Bock, with the book being even written in first person. I was hoping for some explanation. Not a big deal to me, though.
February 5, 2012
I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. I want it to be THE book I can point people to whose children have issues that I think are related to food or chemicals. It's worth reading, but this is not that book.
Mostly this book is an account of how the author treats children in his practice. He starts off with several case studies (some not his patients) with a variety of outcomes. Then he goes into details about various types of treatment, including diet, supplements, and drugs. If drugs seem necessary for your child (or s/he is already on them), the book has very clear descriptions about what the drugs do and how they tend to work on different subgroups of patients. Extremely useful. There is a similar, but not as detailed, description about supplements. Not so much on other treatments. And the food sections are not anywhere near what I would like to see. He sees elimination/addition testing as too hard for laypeople.
The real disappointment was the lack of discussion about chemicals, which are exactly what has been linked to autism, spectrum disorders, and allergies and asthma too. He discusses some but the big main one, the one most linked in various studies, pesticides, gets no mention at all (I think there was perhaps a single mention 2/3 of the way through the book).
All in all, I'm glad I read it, but more to see how professionals with a clue treat these disorders, not because I agree with all of Bock's approaches.
Mostly this book is an account of how the author treats children in his practice. He starts off with several case studies (some not his patients) with a variety of outcomes. Then he goes into details about various types of treatment, including diet, supplements, and drugs. If drugs seem necessary for your child (or s/he is already on them), the book has very clear descriptions about what the drugs do and how they tend to work on different subgroups of patients. Extremely useful. There is a similar, but not as detailed, description about supplements. Not so much on other treatments. And the food sections are not anywhere near what I would like to see. He sees elimination/addition testing as too hard for laypeople.
The real disappointment was the lack of discussion about chemicals, which are exactly what has been linked to autism, spectrum disorders, and allergies and asthma too. He discusses some but the big main one, the one most linked in various studies, pesticides, gets no mention at all (I think there was perhaps a single mention 2/3 of the way through the book).
All in all, I'm glad I read it, but more to see how professionals with a clue treat these disorders, not because I agree with all of Bock's approaches.
July 27, 2011
First of all, please try to get through the self-aggrandizing beginning of the book where the author paints himself as the savior of autism and related disorders. Please do get past it because the connections that the author makes and the information that he provides is amazing. This book is the one that ties it all together. Try to find a family with autism that isn't also affected by allergies, asthma or ADD/ADHD. They are almost always co-morbid conditions and this doctor explains why--and the answer is not genetics! This is the book that really helped my family the most. When we helped the one with autism, we found that the rest of our conditions--the other 3 A's--all improved as well. This is a book for healing the whole family. If you or your family suffers from any of the 4 A conditions, this is one of those books that you should buy so that you can go back to it again and again for your physician's desk reference.
April 9, 2012
Despite having (thank God!) kids without any of the epidemics mentioned, I wanted to check this book out as a companion to THE PANIC VIRUS. Honestly, I have no idea what has caused the surge in childhood epidemics, and to venture an opinion on the whole thimerasol-preserved vaccine issue is to take your life in your hands. Dr. Bock recounts many success stories from his practice, and when I read about what the parents and kids were going through, I can understand being willing to try anything. I was disappointed that there wasn't more about WHY we were seeing the surge. Yes, pollution, toxins, additives, possibly the vaccines, but I would have liked to see more exploration of the non-vaccine root causes. Dr. Bock says a couple times he is pro-vaccine (since mercury is no longer used as a preservative), but I imagine anyone reading the book in desperation is not going to pay a bit of attention to that and will swear off them altogether.
March 29, 2009
This book was written in a way that any parent or professional can relate to. I was able to get a ton of information, resources, and feel motivated while reading the stories of families suffering from the 4-A childhood epidemics. It's easy to read because the important information is presented in the cases of children that you become invested to by reading their stories. I think it is so important for people to see that autism, asthma, allergies, and ADHD are connected and that they ALL can be treated effectively and with promise of recovery. Dr. Bock does a fantastic job describing treatment plans in a way that seem doable (not easily) and reasonable. Any parent or professional that has been touched by one of the 4-A Disorders should read this book. It's an easy read full of very pertinent information.
January 18, 2012
In this book, Dr. Bock talks about how allergies, asthma, autism, and ADHD have the same root causes, which to me was quite interesting. Then he talks about what you can do to help them. He gives a long list of various treatments and helps, most of which you would want to work with a doctor on anyway, but it's helpful to know the reasoning and background for some of his ideas.
The focus of the book really is around biomedical treatments for autism in particular, although the same principles would be helpful for the other conditions mentioned as well. I wish I had found this book 2 years ago as it would have saved me a great deal of research time. By the time I found this book, I had already pretty much studied all of the treatments he recommended anyway, but I think this book gives a nice summary.
The focus of the book really is around biomedical treatments for autism in particular, although the same principles would be helpful for the other conditions mentioned as well. I wish I had found this book 2 years ago as it would have saved me a great deal of research time. By the time I found this book, I had already pretty much studied all of the treatments he recommended anyway, but I think this book gives a nice summary.
March 14, 2012
This is the most fascinating book on childhood health issues (and I've read many over the years) I've ever read. Some of his case histories are like reading all about Cody's battles with childhood asthma, chronic recurring ear infections and allergies. I plan to implement some simple strategies with Anna to see if I can help boost her immune system. I put her on a completely gluten and casein-free diet just a few days ago and have already seen some marked improvement in areas, including increased speech. I may add this title to the boy's high school reading list as a biology/pre-fatherhood title. Not from a Christian perspective, but his combination of clinical information, explanations, case histories and treatments make it highly interesting and useful reading.
February 22, 2015
This book is about the Four A's that have developed in the last 10 years. Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies. Dr. Bock's research says that the increase of these epidemics is linked to: Toxins, Nutrition, Vaccinations, and our ability to Detoxify as dwindled.
Healing Program - Gluten free and casein free foods (no wheat, no dairy). Detoxify. Medication.
Sometimes the child has to much mercury and not enough B12.
The most helpful is a gluten and casein free diet.
Have a safer vaccination schedule. Vaccinate only healthy children. No fever, running nose, or illness within the past week. Nothing with THIMEROSAL. Try not to administer more than one at a time. Check your child after each vaccination for reactions.Proposed Hepatitis-B until a year before kindergarten.
Healing Program - Gluten free and casein free foods (no wheat, no dairy). Detoxify. Medication.
Sometimes the child has to much mercury and not enough B12.
The most helpful is a gluten and casein free diet.
Have a safer vaccination schedule. Vaccinate only healthy children. No fever, running nose, or illness within the past week. Nothing with THIMEROSAL. Try not to administer more than one at a time. Check your child after each vaccination for reactions.Proposed Hepatitis-B until a year before kindergarten.
December 27, 2016
I took this book a few years ago from our family owned special education center and have skimmed through it from time to time, but never took the time to actually read through it.
I finally decided to sit down with it. In a nutshell, the book is by a doctor who has followed a biomedical approach in dealing with what he terms as the 4-A disorders (Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies), which he believes are all connected. He has had some success in his approach, which is outlined in 15 case files he presents at the end of the book.
The book was an interesting read for me, and it's written in an easy format for non-medical readers, though I do admit that the range of supplements and medications he mentioned in the book flew right over my head.
I finally decided to sit down with it. In a nutshell, the book is by a doctor who has followed a biomedical approach in dealing with what he terms as the 4-A disorders (Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies), which he believes are all connected. He has had some success in his approach, which is outlined in 15 case files he presents at the end of the book.
The book was an interesting read for me, and it's written in an easy format for non-medical readers, though I do admit that the range of supplements and medications he mentioned in the book flew right over my head.
July 20, 2009
I'll be honest, I didn't finish this book, I skipped the actual healing section. After starting it I knew that it wouldn't fit into our lifestyle. I do realize that I need to be careful of what my children eat but just can't go to these extremes nor do I think my children's ADHA is severe enough! If my child had Autism or more severe ADHD I would proabably try this program or parts of it at least!
I did read the first part about the author's "theory" about the casues of the 4-A epidemics and really think there is some truth in his reasons! I appreciate his wanting to help these children who have been identified but how can we help put an end to the "epidemics"?
I did read the first part about the author's "theory" about the casues of the 4-A epidemics and really think there is some truth in his reasons! I appreciate his wanting to help these children who have been identified but how can we help put an end to the "epidemics"?
May 8, 2010
This book is great because it ties all these disparate labels together when the author shows the common denominators for these conditions. This knowledge was 'out there' before he wrote this, but it is nice that someone put it in a book so that more people can see the connections. I didn't like two things about this book--1) that the author seemed too puffed up about how HE was doing this great work even though others are doing it and are more well-known and 2) the author doesn't stress ennough the importance of getting rid of common toxic chemicals in our environment. Too often, this seems to be the neglected key to recovery.
December 28, 2011
I liked the part on Autism and agree America needs to come together and through parents reaching out we can help children living with autism. I have a big beef to settle with the ADHD writting. You cannot just drug up children with medications and hope all will be good. It takes the parents, the child's teachers,friends, and others who are part of the child's life to find out his weaknesses and strengths and figure out tactics and strategy's to take the affects and ADHD, and use them as an advantage. To beat the child's weakness.
I will use some the this book to help me write the book I am currently working on about my life of living with ADHD.
I will use some the this book to help me write the book I am currently working on about my life of living with ADHD.
March 10, 2012
There are two points that are repeatedly made clear in this book.
1) autism, ADHD, allergies and asthma are related. They are often caused by vaccinations.
2) most of these parents had given up until they were told about "a doctor that helps people no one else can."
While he gives a lot of case studies and details different parts of treatments he uses, he also makes it clear that you should get a qualified doctor and be willing to travel to get one you'll like. I saw the book as really being aimed at parents who are at the end of their rope.
1) autism, ADHD, allergies and asthma are related. They are often caused by vaccinations.
2) most of these parents had given up until they were told about "a doctor that helps people no one else can."
While he gives a lot of case studies and details different parts of treatments he uses, he also makes it clear that you should get a qualified doctor and be willing to travel to get one you'll like. I saw the book as really being aimed at parents who are at the end of their rope.
August 4, 2013
I didn't read the entire book. I read the beginning and skipped to allergies and then skimmed parts of the healing process. Some information was new, but much of it was not no didn't like the way it was organized. If the other 3-As all Abe allergies, why not put that first and explain how to help that and then move into the others? I feel like there should have been an abridged version and practical advice as well. List specifics. No mention of eating organic or non-GM food, though said toxins were a cause. Given out circumstances, I would have liked more on that :)
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