The left side of my brain rules me. Oh sure, my right-brained creative side does lift it’s head out of the sand from time to time, but I’m generally a very left-brained, analytical person. I love to know WHY. Why do people act the way they do, choose what they choose and think the way they think? These questions captivate me. I guess that’s what drew me a few years back to a book called the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell.

The basis of the book as described by Gladwell is that ideas and behaviors sometimes behave just like outbreaks of infectious disease. They are social epidemics. In his book he explores what makes people begin to act or think in the same way. The moment that enough individuals start to do something or think in the same manner, this “consciousness” spreads like an infection to the masses. This is called the Tipping Point, or critical mass.

Today, I believe we are near the “Tipping Point” in society as it relates to children’s health (at least I hope we are). I’m seeing that more and more parents are asking themselves…Is it normal for my child to be sick so often, have chronic ear infections, asthma, allergies, throat infections, get their tonsils and adenoids out when they’re six, have ADHD, be overweight, get autism after their first round of MMR vaccine and be pre-diabetic by age 15?? They’re wondering: Is this acceptable in the richest society in the world? And more importantly, they are now asking, how can I get my kids off this medical merry-go-round?

So this shift in consciousness that Gladwell writes about is beginning simply because of the initial stage of enlightenment…questioning. But it’s going to take a lot more than that. All the internet blogs, advocacy groups and frustrated parents in the world cannot create a shift in consciousness without first having a fundamental premise from which everything else is based. And in my opinion, this essential axiom is this: We must embrace the idea that our children are born healthy and that their lifestyle, their habits and their environment either add to this health, or take from it. After all, as noted Philosopher Dr. Patrick Gentempo says…”Health is a continuum; you are either moving towards it, or moving away from it. There’s no standing still”.

You see, it’s not antibiotics or vaccines or tonsillectomies that our kids need to be healthy; it’s natural foods, exercise, love and a body that’s functioning correctly. The drug companies would love you to believe that you can just rely on the next wonder drug or vaccine for the answers to your child’s health issues. But as time goes on, more and more parents are becoming disillusioned by this way of life. And hopefully, some day soon, we’ll reach that tipping point when we finally replace this outside-in, “drug for every ill” philosophy, with the inside-out philosophy that says…the body can heal itself if you give it the chance. Be well!