Raising Stable Kids in an Unstable World: A Physician's Guide to Dealing with Childhood Stress
Author: David R Marks
In his ten years of medical experience, including working on the front lines of Ground Zero during the weeks after the World Trade Center tragedy, Dr. David Marks has witnessed today's children having to cope with stresses that their parents never had.
The statistics are disturbing - one out of three American children suffers from stress-related illnesses such as headaches, stomachaches, chest pains, dizziness, sleep and eating disorders and depression. In this groundbreaking book, Dr. David Marks shows how much of this suffering can be avoided, and treated without medication.
In today's mobile and global society children experience stresses resulting from an overload of organized activities, excessive pressure to succeed, ongoing exposure to violence, and perhaps the most stressful event of all: the catastrophic day of September 11, 2001, that forever changed the lives of American youth.
In this practical and informative book, Dr. Marks explains how parents and care-givers can help children of all ages cope with different types of stresses that, if not released or resolved, will result in harmful behaviors and illnesses. He explores the mind/body connection offering an engaging look at what can be done to treat and prevent stress reactions and suggests practical ways for parents to ease the stress level on their children.
Dr. Marks' findings are supported by the latest medical and psychological research and humanized by anecdotes of his experiences dealing with children as a physician and as a father.
Library Journal
From playground bullies and overfilled schedules to the aftershocks of the September 11 terrorist attacks, these books address contemporary childhood stresses. Marks, an M.D. who worked in a New York City trauma and burn center in the aftermath of the attacks, offers good, if general, observations (e.g., "Fear, loss of control, instability, and insecurity can cause a great deal of stress in children"), but his tone is ultimately alienating. Neither scientific nor journalistic, he attempts to persuade readers into accepting his personal rationale for what upsets children. Scenarios are directed at children of the suburban and urban upper class instead of a wider audience. This can grate, as when he implies that all Americans are materialistic, celebrity obsessed, and media manipulated (Marks himself is a health reporter for NBC). Not recommended; consider instead Sheldon Lewis and Sheila Kay Lewis's Stress-Proofing Your Child or Nancy Poffenberger's focused September 11, 2001: A Simple Account for Children. Like Marks, Greenspan (The Irreducible Needs of Children) notes that our culture can create "deep insecurity" but that children can become successful by creating and maintaining relationships with others. Unlike Marks, however, Greenspan did not cobble this together in response to September 11. Greenspan argues that the child who "can figure out the world and understand how emotions and relationships work" is termed "resilient." Against the backdrop of four guiding principles (spend time together, offer reassurance, express feelings, and help others), chapters illuminate developmental stages in nurturing resiliency. Offered tools include the adaptable "floor time," where adults follow "the child's lead helping him to engage with others, communicate," explore feelings, etc., in the "safe" environment of home. Greenspan's tone has a wise-old-man-on-the-mountaintop quality, but the book's brevity can make some material feel underdeveloped. Yet overall, his developmental approach is tried and true and will attract many readers looking for thoughtful advice. For all libraries. Douglas C. Lord, Connecticut State Lib., Hartford Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Interesting book: Early American Cookery or Far Out
Still Giving Kisses: A Guide to Helping and Enjoying the Alzheimer's Victim You Love
Author: Barbara A Smith M S OTR L
This book is the story of the author's mother as she succumbs to Alzheimer's disease over an eight year period. Readers will learn about therapeutic techniques, adaptations and behavioral interventions to promote function and quality of life. Extensive resources and medical, legal and care-giving information provide survival tools. The target audience is friends and family of an Alzheimer's disease victim and readers who enjoy a compelling memoir.
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