“the whole child” gets reborn

Wondering why the blog has a spiffy new look? It’s all part of the Integrative Pediatrics Council web site launch.

“the whole child” blog debuted on July 4, 2005 with a post explaining the nuts and bolts of integrative pediatrics. It’s been an exciting time for the field since then. We’ve seen the rebirth of the Pediatric Integrative Medicine Conference as Pangea, as well as the formation of key leadership groups like the AAP Provisional Section on Complementary, Holistic and Integrative Medicine and the Integrative Pediatrics Council (IPC). The IPC has existed in some form or another since 2004, but after a lengthy development process, our web site is launching today. This is an exciting day for us, and for the world of integrative pediatrics.

The new IPC site features news and information about the world of integrative pediatrics as well as resources for those interested in more information. It is our hope to include multimedia resources, like video and audio clips from conferences and media spots, as well as links to seminal articles in the field. We will continue to partner with other organizations like the AAP and Canada’s PedCAM network to provide even more resources, like presentations from noted speakers and relevant research citations. One of the great things that makes the IPC unique is our multidisciplinary Board of Directors; we truly believe in partnership among all disciplines, and among professionals, families and children. The IPC hosts two formats for interactivity – a professional, invitation-only listserv (the IPC Network), and a public forum for 24×7 dialogue, “the whole child” blog.

Among the exciting IPC web features is an in-site home for “the whole child.” The blog will transition to a multi-author forum, with me as moderator and lead author, serving as our gateway to public intentional dialogue about all issues related to children’s health and wellness. Other IPC Board members will contribute as they wish. We’re pushing a new model – integrative pediatrics – as the way toward a healthier future for all of our children. For those new to “the whole child,” I encourage to read over old posts and get a sense about the changes we foresee and look toward. For those faithful readers who have been following along for some time, I encourage you to join the dialogue. I hope “the whole child” will continue to grow and lead the discussion about how and why we need to approach the challenges and opportunities in improving our children’s well-being.

To the future,

L