Kathi J. Kemper - Mental Health, Naturally: The Family Guide to Holistic Care for a Healthy Mind and Body

I am deeply grateful to the many people who made this book possible. Without my patients, friends, and colleagues who keep asking me questions, I might have turned in another direction entirely. Your questions and trust humble and inspire me.

First on the list of specific thanks has to be Paula Stant, who tirelessly checked and entered thousands of references, only to delete the majority of them when the book got too long. Dont worry, Paula, we will use those references somewhere! Second, I am deeply grateful to my colleagues and family members who selflessly reviewed early drafts, offering constructive suggestions to improve the final productSuzanne Danhauer, Emily Esmaili, Paula Gardiner, Kathryn Kelly, Julie Kemper, and Nancy Rudner-Lugo. You helped me connect the dots. Paula G, thanks for your inspiring examples of mindfulness, yoga, and organic farmers co-opsas if your vast knowledge about herbs wasnt enough! I would not have even started down the road of mental health promotion were it not for the passion and dedication of my dear friend, colleague, and mentor, Jane Foy. Nor would I have had the time and resources to write this book without the generous support of Caryl Guth and the Kohlberg Foundation; Caryl, there would be no chapter on magnets without your advocacy! Thanks also to Mindy Hung at Medscape, who supported my early efforts to share what Ive learned with a wider professional audience.

I am thankful to the faculty and staff members of the Center for Integrative Medicine and the Department of Pediatrics at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center for their support and patience with me as I put other projects aside to work on this. Particular thanks go to Julie Milunic for helping me see things from a community perspective and to Bob Parker, Steve Snelgrove, Jonathan Bailey, and Heather Zachary for helping me see the business angles. Thank you to my dear spirit sister, Deborah Larrimore; I look forward to doing more teaching with you about the power of the human hands and spirit to heal. Thanks to Steve Scoggin, Bryan Hatcher, Bill Yates, Mark Jensen, and Luvvy Kovacik for reminding me of the importance of spirituality in healing and living your faith every day. Thank you to Ski Chilton for showing us the power of exercise and nutrition to improve every aspect of health. Bless you, Walt Curl, the only orthopedist I know who will confess that holistic medicine makes his heart sing! The benefits of emotional self-management and biofeedback are exemplified by my dear colleagues, heart-centered role models, and friends, Chuck Tegeler, Amy LaRose, Jeff Feldman, and Rollin McCraty; thank you for bringing HeartMath to life at Wake Forest. Thanks to GarySchwartz for sharing some of his vast knowledge of vitamin D and its many benefits. Thanks to Lynn Black for leading Action Health to improve staff wellness. Thanks to Suzanne Melcher for making massage a reality at the medical center. Thanks to Steve Hopkins, Patti Woodard, and Mara Vitolins for your timeless advocacy for optimal nutrition. Thanks to Scott Kilbourne for leading the green initiative and Judy McClenny for organizing visual and performing arts events. Thanks to Tom Arcury for organizing and running the complementary and alternative medicinecommunity seminar series. Thanks to Kay Sackett of the nursing team for championing relationship-based care.

I continue to benefit from the wise and caring colleagues Ive been fortunate to work with and learn from at the University of Washington and Childrens Hospital Boston. Ellen Highfield, thank you for introducing me to the power of acupuncture and making me dig for the data. Cora Breuner, thanks for telling me how to start a loaner program for the biofeedback equipment and for maintaining your enthusiasm for this project over more than 2 years.

Thanks, of course, to the wonderful, professional team at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)Maureen DeRosa, who saw the possibilities; Mark Grimes, who oversaw the project; Kathleen Juhl and Carolyn Kolbaba, who took care of endless details with grace and skill. Particular thanks to the Executive Committee and key leaders of the AAP Section on Complementary and Integrative MedicineLarry Rosen, Sunita Vorha, Susan Hyman, Harry Gewanter, Hillary McClafferty, OJ Sahler, David Steinhorn, Tim Culbert, Richard Wall, and Joy Weydertall insightful pioneers and dearest friends! Junelle Speller, we could not do it without you. I also extend my warmest and deepest gratitude to my pioneering colleagues in the Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine and the Bravewell Collaborative for your vision and generous examples. Heartfelt thanks to the holistic psychiatrists who have inspired me and who have generously shared wisdom, insights, and resources; you are my heroesScott Shannon, James Lake, Jim Gordon, Rogier Hoenders, and David Servan-Schreiber.

Thanks to Laura, Kevin, Holly, and Jack Messick for taking care of the chickens and bringing food when I was completely preoccupied. Most of all, thank you to Daniel Kemper, who patiently and supportively watched the back of his moms head as she worked at the computer while he did homework, built with LEGO bricks, and dreamed up vacations for us to take when she finished. Im the luckiest mom in the world.

Also available from the American Academy of Pediatrics

Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5
(English and Spanish)
Heading Home With Your Newborn: From Birth to Reality
Mommy Calls: Dr. Tanya Answers Parents Top 101 Questions
About Babies and Toddlers
The Wonder Years: Helping Your Baby and Young Child Successfully
Negotiate the Major Developmental Milestones
Raising Twins: From Pregnancy to Preschool
Your Babys First Year (English and Spanish)
New Mothers Guide to Breastfeeding (English and Spanish)
Food Fights: Winning the Nutritional Challenges of Parenthood Armed
With Insight, Humor, and a Bottle of Ketchup
A Parents Guide to Childhood Obesity: A Road Map to Health
Guide to Your Childs Nutrition
ADHD: A Complete and Authoritative Guide
Waking Up Dry: A Guide to Help Children Overcome Bedwetting
A Parents Guide to Building Resilience in Children and Teens:
Giving Your Child Roots and Wings
Sports Success Rx! Your Childs Prescription for the Best Experience
Less Stress, More Success: A New Approach to Guiding Your Teen
Through College Admissions and Beyond
Caring for Your School-Age Child: Ages 5 to 12
Caring for Your Teenager
Guide to Your Childs Allergies and Asthma
Guide to Toilet Training (English and Spanish)

RESOURCES

There are abundant resources to help you on your journey. This section lists useful books and Web sites for additional guidance and support, followed by tools to help you make the changes you want to promote mental health.

Books

General Mental Health Promotion

Amen DG. Change Your Brain, Change Your Life: The Breakthrough Program for Conquering Anxiety, Depression, Obsessiveness, Anger, and Impulsiveness. New York, NY: Three Rivers Press; 2000

Amen DG. Healing ADD: The Breakthrough Program that Allows You to See and Heal the Six Types of Attention Deficit Disorder. New York, NY: Berkley Books; 2002

Amen DG. Making a Good Brain Great: The Amen Clinic Program for Achieving and Sustaining Optimal Mental Performance. New York, NY: Three Rivers Press; 2005