Review: Special-Needs Kids Go Pharm-Free by Judy Converse

From sleep, to staying healthy, to growth impairments, and even avoiding infections, Special-Needs Kids Go Pharm-Free covers most aspects of true health in children, and especially special-needs children. It offers parents a non-pharmaceutical approach to health for children. The author, Judy Converse, a dietitian specializing in children, does an excellent job of breaking down nutrition in a way that’s easy to understand, yet not condescending. She explains all aspect of nutrition and how and why diet can dramatically change a child’s behavior and prognosis. Stepping in where many doctors have failed parents, Converse clearly knows what she’s talking about when it comes to health in children.

“Despite more options for children than ever before from the pharmaceutical industry, more doctors’ visits annually than in years past, and more prescription drug use than ever among children, our children are doing more poorly, according to data from private and government sources.” This statement is so profound to me and should be to every parent. We have so much medical intervention these days, yet our children are doing far worse ever before and are plagued by diseases that rarely or even never plagued children before.

Being a natural health enthusiast, I was glued to this book immediately and read it cover-to-cover, even the parts that didn’t pertain to my children. I think this is another invaluable resource for parents of all kids, not just special-needs ones. If you are interested in natural health or are looking for an alternative way to deal with problems invading your family’s life, Converse’s book is right up your alley.

You can purchase Special-Needs Kids Go Pharm-Free from US.PenguinGroup.com, Amazon.com, and other major book retailers. It retails for $15.95 in paperback and $9.99 in eBook format.

Thank you to the Penguin Group for sending us a complimentary review copy of this book to base this article upon.

The Visual MD . . . A New Site for the Modern Day Parent

During my first pregnancy, I carefully selected a pregnancy and parenting book to read and to use as a reference throughout my pregnancy and during the first 12 months of my son's life. I did make it through half the book, but as soon as my son was born, I realized that I didn't have time to take a shower, let alone read an entire book. It would have been much easier to have an online reference like thevisualMD.com's Infant Nutrition Center.

I have to admit that I was so focused on the benefits of breast milk and the type of formula we selected that I lost focus on the importance of my selection of solid foods. It would have been extremely helpful to have a quick and easy-to-use resource like the Key Nutrients guide on page 5 of the Infant Nutrition section on thevisualMD. This guide includes an easy-to-read chart, a summary of all the essential vitamins and minerals, plus short videos which explain the importance of protein, fats, vitamins and minerals, and carbs.


If you are constantly multi-tasking like I have been since my first child was born nearly 6 years ago, then you may want to check out thevisualMD.com . This site's topics are not limited to infant nutrition, but also include a wide variety of health topics for both women and men.


I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Mead Johnson. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.