As 2020 slouches towards its inevitable end, two things I've noticed, reflecting on that year that was... well, a full year. There are those who believe the calendar will turn to 2021 and all will be right again in the world. Look, I'm an eternal optimist but this seems to me a coping strategy …
What is Whole Health?
The phrase "Whole Health" seems to be replacing integrative medicine as the favored descriptor of holistic medicine. Recently, I was interviewed by Mark Finguerra of Finding Whole Health, and we explored the underlying philosophy and components of the whole health paradigm - particularly as they …
Whole Health Learning: The Revolutionary Child of Integrative Health and Education
“You say you want a revolution...” - John Lennon/Paul McCartney The term revolution is overused and cliched. Yet, I can't help see what we're creating at WholeHealthED in partnership with the Whole Health Institute as truly groundbreaking. At this critical juncture when we're in dire …
Earth Day: Talking with Children about Climate Change
“Climate change is not about a distant, unforeseeable future. It is about the world in which our children live today and the future in which they will raise their own children.” - AAP report on Global Climate Change and Children’s Health Each year, in honor of Earth Day, I think about …
Rx Life: The integrative solution to keep kids healthy
This year marks my 20th as a pediatrician. Through these years, caring for thousands of children, I’ve been so fortunate to witness the vast majority grow into happy and healthy young adults. And, as the families who’ve worked with me since the beginning will testify, I’ve also evolved. Changes in …
Greening Healthcare: Next Steps
Recently, I led a webinar for Practice Greenhealth detailing our efforts at The Deirdre Imus Environmental Health Center® to reduce the use of endocrine-disrupting plastics in hospitals. Reducing DEHP use in particular is one of our main current initiatives, given its adverse impact on health, …
The Growing Pediatric Health Gap: Environmental Injustice Threatens Our Future
The Deirdre Imus Environmental Center® at HackensackUMC publishes landmark paper on The Growing Pediatric Health Gap: Environmental Injustice Threatens Our Future Deirdre Imus, president and founder of The Deirdre Imus Environmental Center® at HackensackUMC, andLawrence Rosen, M.D., the Center’s …
13 Inspirational Quotes From Your Favorite Children’s Books
I have a profound connection to children’s literature. When I was young, my parents read to me often and instilled in me the joy of reading. I was transported by the tales, my imagination whisking me on amazing journeys to fantastic new worlds. Even today, when books struggle to compete with …
Antibiotic Overuse: A Worldwide Emergency
For most of human history, infectious diseases have been the leading causes of illness and death. Most ancient peoples used botanicals as the earliest antibiotics to combat various plagues, even without specific knowledge regarding the microbes responsible. With the advent of modern pharmaceutical …
School Stress: Rescuing Our Children
Stress, according to noted Slovakian researcher Hans Selye, is neither good nor bad. Instead, it is defined as "the non-specific response of the body to any demand for change." At some point, though, stress ceases being an impetus for productive effort in the service of positive performance and …