Magazine Bonanza

Three popular parenting advice magazines, in the span of two months, have joined the integrative pediatrics debate.

What do Parenting, Parents and Child Magazines have in common? Yes, of course, they’re three of the most widely circulated parenting magazines in the U.S., found in homes and in pediatric waiting rooms across the country. Most notably, however, the November issues of Parenting and Parents and the December issue of Child feature stories on holistic approaches to child health. It is encouraging to witness this emphasis on safe and natural remedies, even though the tenor of all three articles is quite conservative and cautious. I suppose that’s necessary in mass publications, and at least it’s a step in the right direction. Editors seem to be reaching out to academic integrative pediatricians, including Tim Culbert, Kathi Kemper and myself, among many others, for commentary. We are striving to emphasize the positive, all the while remaining cognizant of balancing risk and reward. Typically, after parents read stories in these magazines, they raise the issues with their local pediatricians. We can only hope they are listening.