In PubMed’s Pediatric Integrative Medicine: Vision for the Future abstract, eight participating researchers declared, “The field of pediatrics is at a cross-roads. The health of our future—our children—is at stake.” The researchers searching for a safer and more cost-effective paradigm to optimize the health and well-being of children everywhere, looked to multidisciplinary healthcare models that implement integrative and complementary therapies, improved health outcomes, relationship-centered care and parents that were empowered to incorporate wellness strategies such as nutrition, physical activity and sleep hygiene into their children’s lifestyles. Parents searching for the same things can look locally to Robert Murdoch, who practices functional medicine, holistic pediatrics and acupuncture at Natural Family Physicians, in Fort Myers.

“Holistic pediatrics is a paradigm shift long overdue in medicine. To the hammer, everything is a nail. To a practitioner only trained in acupuncture, every health challenge requires needling, and to a doctor trained to use pharmaceuticals, every health challenge requires a drug. That's not always a bad thing. Sometimes it's wise, but having drug therapy as a primary health care method is absurd. We should have it available as a specialty. My paradigm of holistic pediatrics uses a much broader diagnostic perspective that incorporates functional medicine, traditional Oriental diagnostics, allopathic diagnostic, labs, radiology, etc. Treatments include acupuncture, diet, nutrition, homeopathy, supplementation, herbal therapies and appropriate referrals out to chiropractors, cardiologists, orthopedists, urgent care and ER's when needed.

“Holistic pediatricians think in terms of what the child needs regarding their environment—chemically, physically, spiritually and socially—what they need in terms of their diet and supplementation—what they need in terms thinking and speaking; their particular mindset, and their activity, posture and rest,” explains Murdoch.

Holistic primary care pediatrics is personalized and proactive, rather than reactive. It is relationship-centered care that focuses on the health of the whole child—body, mind and spirit, which depends on how suitable the environment is for the child.

Prescribing lifestyle solutions to prevent disease is generally preferable to costly and potentially risky treatments. Lifestyle prescriptions may include food, physical activity, time spent in nature, creativity, rest, mindfulness and connection with others.

Robert Murdoch, a licensed acupuncture physician who specializes in holistic pediatrics. An author and lecturer, he is available for consultations, physicals exams, and health courses at Natural Family Physicians, located at 1222 SE 47th St., in Cape Coral and at AHA! A Holistic Approach Center for Healthy and Harmony, 15971 McGregor Blvd., in Fort Myers. For more information, call 239-433-5995.