Amazon.com Health-care practitioners are a polarized lot: generally speaking， either they subscribe wholeheartedly to conventional medical treatments， or they eschew them altogether. This can be a great source of frustration to parents， whose natural response to a child's illness is a desire to do everything possible to make that child well. Written by a natural-medicine practitioner， a traditionally licensed doctor， and a pediatric nurse， Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child presents an integrated approach to children's health care that allows a parent to do just that. This excellent reference applies a full spectrum of responses to common childhood health problems: conventional medical treatments， dietary guidelines， nutritional supplements， herbal treatments， homeopathy， and acupressure; for each ailment， general recommendations and preventive measures are also offered. The book's authors explain that their approach to health care "considers all treatment possibilities and draws on what works. Sometimes this will be an herb， sometimes an antibiotic， sometimes both." This well-researched， balanced， and clearly written reference belongs on every parent's bookshelf. --Jane Steinberg From Publishers Weekly When a child becomes ill， most parents will seek the advice of a pediatrician， often without considering alternatives to traditional treatment. While this is frequently the best course of action-especially for a child who is critically ill-some alternatives may in fact be superior， equally beneficial or potentially less risky. Here the authors describe， in encyclopedic style， conventional treatments for a host of childhood ailments， and include alternative treatments， such as herbal and homeopathic remedies. They also provide a comprehensive discussion of the theories behind homeopathic medicine. Look for sections on encouraging good nutrition， medical emergencies， safety at home and away， and immunizations， as well as an extensive glossary， a bibliography for further reading， and listings of resources and hotlines. Although parents might not be inclined to experiment when their child is ill， nevertheless， they should be aware of available options. The authors give them that opportunity. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information， Inc. See all Editorial Reviews