It has long been established that metabolic health plays a crucial role in vaccine effectiveness and overall immunity against infectious diseases. Poor metabolic status impairs immune activation, antibody production, and long-term protection.   In older adults, vaccine responses are often weaker. Aging frequently coincides with rising rates of metabolic disorders (such as insulin resistance, obesity-related issues, and inflammation), reduced immune cell function, and lower an

A) " Establishment of the gut microbiome during early life is a complex process with lasting implications for an individual’s health. Several factors influence microbial assembly; however, breast-feeding is recognized as one of the most influential drivers of gut microbiome composition during infancy, with potential implications for function. Differences in gut microbial communities between breast-fed and formula-fed infants have been consistently observed and are hypothesize

There is an old idea that refuses to die because it keeps proving itself useful: human beings do not grow through force. They grow through relationship. A statement that Duey Freeman taught me years ago. More imbedded in my soul.   Stephen Porges gives us the neurobiology. Mona Delahooke gives us the clinical lens. Jesus and the Stoics give us the philosophy of what to do with the strength that emerges once the nervous system is steady. Porges’ polyvagal theory tells us that

Chapter 4 of Beyond Behaviors is often read as a continuation of the neuroscience laid out in the first three chapters. That’s understandable, but it slightly misses the point. By the time Dr. Delahooke gets to Chapter 4, she’s largely done making the physiological argument. She now pivots to a far more practical and, frankly, more uncomfortable question:  What does this mean we actually do as caregivers?   This chapter is less about how the nervous system works and more abou

Can I Get an AMEN!!!!!!   The new HHS food pyramid represents something rare in modern nutrition policy: a quiet return to biological reality. (The Big Ag corporate capture and control is finally - not in the decision room)   For decades, the official food pyramid was less a reflection of human physiology and more a mirror of corporate convenience. Grains at the base, fats demonized, protein politely minimized, and ultra-processed foods slipping in through the side door with

School Based Nutrition - Why is it happening this way?   There is a quiet experiment happening in American childhood, and we should stop pretending it’s benign.   In the 1970s and 1980s, when I attended school, school food was far from perfect, but it existed in the context of something essential: it was mostly prepared on site, minimally processed (but changing in that direction) and not laden with additives and chemicals (Yet). Oh, and most children still ate meals prepared

Integrative Takeaways   1. Individual differences are the biological blueprint of behavior. They shape how a child senses, interprets, and reacts to the world, long before language arrives.   2. Sensory processing is a central regulator of emotional and behavioral tone. Ignoring sensory contributions leads to chronic misdiagnosis and ineffective interventions.  3. The nervous system stores memories in the body. Past pain, inflammation, trauma, and sensory overwhelm can impri

I just reposted my interview with Dr. Stephen Porges on the podcast as a timely relisten. Because Beyond Behaviors makes a lot more sense when the frame is right.   Chapter 3 - Individual Differences   Dr. Delahooke starts Chapter 3 by allowing Margaret Mead to remind us that each child is absolutely unique: “Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.” This is more than a witty paradox, it is the hinge upon which all effective pediatric care swin

Christmas Eve 2025   Tonight is one of the few nights each year when the world collectively slows down. Phones grow quieter. Tasks loosen their grip. Food is held off until dinner, until after Mass. Pensiveness and connection replace the do, the need, the want. The sounds of children clamoring for attention echo through the house as traditional meals are prepared, meals that nourish the present while binding us to the past. Presents wait patiently, holding joy in reserve.   T

Articles and Points of Interest:   1) Microplastics in the Brain -  From Science Advances: "Human health is being threatened by environmental microplastic (MP) pollution.  MPs were detected in the bloodstream and multiple tissues of humans,  disrupting the regular physiological processes of organs .  Nanoscale plastics can breach the blood-brain barrier, leading to neurotoxic effects.  How MPs cause brain functional irregularities remains unclear. This work uses high-depth im

Three main limitations of traditional approaches to helping children with behavioral challenges are:   (1) not determining the etiology of behaviors before we try to change them   (2) using one-size-fits-all approaches   (3) failing to use a developmental roadmap to insure we’re using the right approach at the right time.   • Neuroception, a concept developed by Dr. Porges, is the brain’s and body’s ongoing subconscious surveillance of safety and threat in the environment • C

Review of Chapter 1 of Beyond Behaviors  by Mona Delahooke, PhD   "When we see a behavior that is problematic or confusing, the first question we should ask isn't "How do we get rid of it?" but rather "What is this telling us about the child?" (MD 2019)    The opening chapter sets the stage for a quiet revolution in how we understand children who struggle. Dr. Mona Delahooke invites us to take a step back from the culturally and medically ingrained belief that children’s out

Aging speed varies due to changeable lifestyle and environmental factors, and earlier studies suggested that speaking multiple languages might slow it down. However, those studies were weakened by crude health measures, tiny sample sizes, poor control for other influences, and a focus on sick patients making results inconsistent and hard to apply to healthy people.   In the journal Nature Aging we see a large study of 86,149 adults from 27 European countries. The researchers

The Evolutionary Tug-of-War - Inflammation’s Double-Edged Sword     "Environmental factors, particularly infections, have fundamentally shaped human evolution by selecting for protective inflammatory response mechanisms that enhance survival. This evolutionary pressure has created a core biological paradox: inflammation is indispensable for host defense, yet its dysregulation significantly heightens disease and mortality risk. This fundamental tension raises three fundamental

1) Anaphylaxis to various protein antigens occurs relatively frequently in the United States. It is the most severe form of immediate allergic hypersensitivity. Foods are the most common triggers including peanut, egg, shellfish, tree nut and more. When the physical exam, the history and specific allergy testing fail to identify the etiology, then medicine calls the reaction: idiopathic anaphylaxis. In a new study in Frontiers in Allergy we see that synthetic food additives m

Speaking Truth in Love: The Weight of Avoidance in Pediatric Metabolic Health   After completing the second round of our Asthma and Obesity Metabolic Pilot Program at Salisbury Pediatrics, I left the clinic reflecting deeply on what I witnessed. It crystallized a truth that is uncomfortable but undeniable: the greatest health threats to our children today are not infectious or accidental, they are metabolic. Diseases once reserved for adulthood: insulin resistance, fatty live

FOR THOSE THAT MISSED THIS LAST WEEK: Which is why I suspect that Dr. Makary and the FDA posted this information:   " “The FDA is taking action to make parents and doctors aware of a considerable body of evidence about potential risks associated with acetaminophen,” said FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H. “Even with this body of evidence, the choice still belongs with parents. The precautionary principle may lead many to avoid using acetaminophen during pregnancy, e

Review Part III - after the Attia Podcast   After completing the interview with Dr. William Parker and now listening to Peter Attia's analysis, let us look again at this question. I repeat that the initial question has not changed for me. The first and most fundamental question to ask is this: What is the true value of acetaminophen in health compared with the potential risk if the associated findings are indeed correct?   My response to this question has been altered by the

FOR THOSE THAT MISSED THIS LAST WEEK: Here are some thoughts on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and acetaminophen/Tylenol for those...

Part II - after the interview.   After completing the interview with Dr. William Parker, I thought that it would be useful to relook at...