Wall Street Journal
🔗 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121666668803871055.htmlI'm the parent of two children with acid reflux. I'm the founding director of the Pediatric Adolescent Gastroesophageal Reflux Association and reflux.org. I'm the primary writer/editor of Reflux Digest. I've written several medical journal articles.
<p>It’s hard to be committed to anyone when you don’t know whom to trust.</p><p>Alexis Toles, a former FBI agent turned undercover CIA agent, is quickly finding that out in Nancy Ann Healy’s newest political thriller, <i>Commitment</i>.</p><p>Alex embeds in a secret organization of intelligence operatives known as The Collaborative. Its partners include operatives from the CIA, National Security Agency, FBI, US Department of Defense, and an entanglement of foreign intelligence agencies.</p><p>It’s about half a year after the death of President John Merrow, a friend and someone she respected. But she remains committed to overthrowing The Collaborative as she works with a onetime adversary who believes the organization’s involved in the president’s death.</p><p>Meanwhile Alex; her wife, Cassidy O’Brien; and Cassidy’s son try hard to live as a family but must first overcome personal struggles, including a nasty custody battle with Cassidy’s ex-husband, Congressman Christopher O’Brien. The family has their own share of secrets that, if unleashed, could affect their hopes for the future.</p><p>There’s no place to turn without discovering people who are not who they claim to be. That can’t stop Alex. She must remain committed to the cause, both at home and as she works against The Collaborative.</p>
When my daughter was born with GERD in 1990, there was no internet. I had to read medical journals and beg for practical ideas from every nurse, doctor and the very few parents I could find. I vowed to get every idea into the hands of parents who need help.
<strong><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';">Dr. William Sears, MD Co-author, THE BABY BOOK and 30 other titles </span></strong><br /><br /><em><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';">This book is a must-read for any family who has an infant or child with gastroesophageal reflux (GER). </span></em><br /><br /><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">My interest in GER began in the early nineties when, as a pediatrician, I was uncomfortable passing babies off as having “colic.” I still remember a mother coming into my office with her one-month-old baby who sounded like she had typical “colic.” The mother said to me, “Dr. Bill, I know my baby is hurting somewhere and I’m going to camp out in your office until you find out why she is hurting.” This mother encouraged me to keep searching for why her baby hurt, and the cause of the “colic” turned out to be severe gastroesophageal reflux. </font></em><br /><br /><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Since that time, I have replaced the term “colicky baby” with the more accurate description “the hurting baby,” and it turns out that many so-called colicky babies actually suffer from this treatable condition. </font></em><br /><br /><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">GER is tough on the child and the family. Hurting babies, sleepless nights, tired parents – that’s what happens in a reflux family. The infor-mation in this book has been compiled by authors and parents who have survived and thrived with their infants and children with reflux and have shared their wisdom to help other parents who have children with this condition. </font></em><br /><br /><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">My favorite feature of this book is that it teaches what I believe is the best medical model for the treatment of GER: the pills-and-skills model. This is the model that I follow in my pediatric practice in treating infants and children with GER. Besides the “pills,” or medications, that you will learn about to treat GER, you will also learn the many infant and childcare skills and feeding skills that will help alleviate this painful condition. For example, in my office the first skill I give parents is what my patients dub Dr. Bill’s rule of reflux: “Feed your baby half as much, twice as often.” For the older child I add, “…and chew twice as long.” For the younger baby we often add the next rule, “Keep baby upright and quiet for 20-30 minutes after a feeding.” These are just a couple of the home remedies for reflux that you will learn about throughout this book. I wish that every healthcare provider who counsels parents for GER will “prescribe” this book.</font></em><br /><br /><em><font face="Times New Roman">Dr. Bill is an Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine. Dr. Bill received his pediatric training at Harvard Medical School's Children's Hospital in Boston and The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto -- the largest children’s hospi-tal in the world, where he served as associate ward chief of the newborn nursery and associate professor of pediatrics. Dr. Sears is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and a fellow of the Royal College of Pediatricians (RCP). Dr. Bill is also a medical and parenting consultant for BabyTalk and Parenting magazines and the pediatrician on the website Parenting.com. Dr. Sears is the author or co-author of 30+ books on parenting and children's health.<br /><br /></font></em><strong><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';">Krisi Brackett MS CCC-SLP, The Pediatric Feeding and Dysphagia Newsletter</span></strong><br /><br /><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The Reflux Book is a wonderful resource for caregivers and clinicians. The information is presented in a simple, clear manner that will not intimidate parents. And, it is extremely thorough and accurate which will appeal to clinicians working with children who are dealing with reflux. Every therapist working with children who have a feeding difficulty should have one! </font></em><br /><br /><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The Pediatric Feeding & Dysphagia Newsletter is a quarterly publication dedicated to the most current information and research pertaining to pediatric feeding disorders. It reaches approximately 600 professionals in 5 countries. For information, email Hiro Publishing at </font><a href="mailto:%20feedingnews@earthlink.net"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';">feedingnews@earthlink.net</span></a><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';">. </span><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';">Vik Khoshoo, MD, PhD, Pediatric Gastroenterologist</span></strong><br /><br /><em><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';">The book is very thorough, It contains a lot of complex scientific information expressed very simply</span></em><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"> <br /><br /></span><strong><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';">Todd Eisner, MD Gastroenterologist and writer for HealthCentral.com</span></strong><br /><br /><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';">This a small part of a <strong>long</strong> review that you can read by clicking this link:</span><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"></span><a href="http://www.healthcentral.com/acid-reflux/c/66/20699/reflux-book/"><em><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';">http://www.healthcentral.com/acid-reflux/c/66/20699/reflux-book/</span></em></a><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"> Throughout the book, the general theme is to provide an informative resource for parents of children afflicted with this disease, while doing so in a non-threatening way. While many medical books for the layperson tend to scare those that read it with the attitude of an alarmist, The Reflux Book has a straight-forward and positive approach. It should be read by all who are close to a child with gastroesophageal reflux disease.</font></em><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';">Hope Trachtenberg-Fifer RN, MS, Certified Health Education Specialist Member, American Medical Writers Association </span></strong><br /><br /><em><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';">A smart, concise, and supportive resource for concerned parents of children with reflux.</span></em><br /><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The author’s years of experience facilitating parent support groups, publishing, and navigating her own children’s health care needs, have provided her with a great deal of common sense and practical advice. Anderson clearly connects with her readers, and her readers will connect with her.</font></em>