Michelle Perro, MD, is a veteran pediatrician with over thirty-five
years of experience in acute and integrative medicine. More
than ten years ago, Dr. Perro transformed her clinical practice to
include pesticide and health advocacy. She has both directed and
worked as attending physician from New York’s Metropolitan Hospital
to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland. Dr. Perro has managed
her own business, Down to Earth
Pediatrics. She is currently lecturing and
consulting as well as working with Gordon
Medical Associates, an integrative health center in
Northern California.
Vincanne Adams, PhD, is a professor and vice-chair of Medical
Anthropology, in the Department of Anthropology, History, and
Social Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr.
Adams has previously published six books on the social dynamics of
health, scientific knowledge and politics, including most recently,
Markets of Sorrow, Labors of Faith: New Orleans in the Wake of
Katrina (2013), and Metrics: What Counts in Global Health (2016).
She is currently editor for Medical Anthropology Quarterly, the
flagship journal for the Society for Medical Anthropology of the
American Anthropological Association.
“Through surveys, doctors’ reports, and countless firsthand
discussions, we are aware that thousands of people get better from
a wide range of diseases and conditions soon after switching to a
non-GMO organic diet. This outstanding book not only sees the
results every day in Dr. Perro’s practice, but has also connected
the dots with the science. What’s Making Our Children
Sick? should be required reading for every doctor, every mom,
and anyone seeking to prevent or reverse a chronic
condition.”—Jeffrey M. Smith, author of Seeds of
Deception and Genetic Roulette; codirector of Secret
Ingredients
Kirkus Reviews- "Medical professionals join the debate over the
safety of our food supply with the claim that toxic foods are
causing hard-to-diagnose chronic health problems in
children.Pediatrician Perro, former director of the pediatric
emergency department at New York's Metropolitan Hospital and
attending physician at Oakland Children's Hospital, and Adams (Vice
Chair, Medical Anthropology/Univ. of California, San Francisco;
Metrics: What Counts in Global Health, 2016, etc.) team up to
document this phenomenon and to argue that the solution is a new
model of ecomedicine that promotes the treatment value of healthy
food. Genetically modified foods come in for especially close
scrutiny. Perro's practice provides clinical case studies
illustrating the many health problems of children—allergies,
asthma, rashes, gastrointestinal issues, autoimmune disorders, and
cognitive malfunction—that frustrated parents have brought to her
attention and that she has successfully treated. The authors also
delve into the rise of agrochemical technologies and the current
practices of industrial food production, especially with regard to
GMO crops. They explore what biomedical sciences are beginning to
learn about the connection between pesticides and organ systems,
and they question the effectiveness of American Medical Association
guidelines for medical practice, which they assert do not reflect
scientific information. Physicians, they write, must think beyond
the pill. The ecomedicine model calls for a recognition that our
internal ecosystems can only be as healthy as our external
environmental ecosystems. In their demand for a revolution in our
food production system, as well as in our medical approach to
chronic disorders, the authors acknowledge the need for scientists,
educators, politicians, health professionals, and farmers to become
involved, but they single out mothers as powerful agents of change.
An accessible read with a title designed to catch the attention of
worried mothers and a message that will be vigorously challenged by
a host of agribusiness and pharmaceutical industry spokespeople and
segments of the medical profession. "
“It would be difficult for anyone to read this powerful book with
even a halfway open mind and not conclude that our industrialized
system of food production is in urgent need of major reform. The
routine claim that genetically engineered foods are well-regulated,
well-tested, and wholesome crumples in the face of the facts that
are skillfully woven together in this monumental work.”—Steven M.
Druker, author of Altered Genes, Twisted Truth: How the
Venture to Genetically Engineer Our Food Has Subverted Science,
Corrupted Government, and Systematically Deceived the Public
“Chronic diseases that were once rare are now plaguing children and
adults alike in industrialized nations such as the United States.
The patient case histories that Dr. Perro and Dr. Adams describe in
What’s Making Our Children Sick? provide compelling evidence for
advocating lifestyle changes, especially dietary medicine
intervention, for overcoming these chronic ailments. And science
increasingly provides explanations for such success. We now know
that the balance of our gut bacteria (microbiome) is crucial to
health and that imbalance, causing gut dysbiosis, is at least a
contributing factor to a vast range of chronic illnesses, both
physical and mental. Poor diet is no doubt a major contributory
factor in causing gut dysbiosis. By eliminating pesticide and
GMO-laden food from the diet and replacing it with organic
wholefoods as part of her lifestyle medicine approach, Dr. Perro
succeeds where standard pharmaceuticals fail. This should be enough
for all to take note and follow suit.”—Michael Antoniou, molecular
geneticist, King’s College London; coauthor of GMO Myths and
Truths
“The sharp rise of severe allergies, brain disorders, and other
chronic illnesses among America’s children has left many doctors
stumped, finding themselves unable to offer lasting cures or even
successfully manage sometimes devastating symptoms. Enter Dr.
Michelle Perro, an integrative food-forward family physician who
has had excellent results helping children and adults overcome
chronic disease. Even if you’re already familiar with the
controversies surrounding genetically modified foods and healthy
eating, you will learn a lot from Perro and Adams’s carefully
researched, science-oriented book. A compelling and important read.
Highly recommended.”—Jennifer Margulis, PhD, author of Your
Baby, Your Way: Taking Charge of Your Pregnancy, Childbirth, and
Parenting Decisions for a Happier, Healthier Family
“With her extensive experience as a director and attending in
Pediatric Emergency Medicine and her current integrative practice
and health advocacy, Dr. Michelle Perro has teamed up with coauthor
Vincanne Adams, whose expertise from medical anthropology is a
perfect complement to the clinical perspective; together they have
produced a powerful book. Their analysis carefully examines the
scientific evidence and patient responses to the disruptive effects
of chemicals contaminating our food, water, and the environment,
and their damaging effects on our children. What’s Making Our
Children Sick? exposes the hype of genetic engineering, both its
flawed science and failed promises that have wreaked havoc on our
health. Using their medical experience and case studies, Perro and
Adams offer welcome alternatives to restore our health and hope for
our future.”—Don M. Huber, emeritus professor, Purdue
University
“Having seen firsthand how Dr. Michelle Perro works miracles with
children in her clinical practice, I am delighted to see that she
has made her insights and approach widely accessible in this
groundbreaking book. What’s Making Our Children Sick? combines
the latest research on gut health and the microbiome with
concerning evidence about the dangers of genetically modified and
industrial foods to elucidate the perfect storm that is damaging
our children’s health today. Most importantly, it offers
practical and actionable solutions for both parents and
practitioners to help children recover their health.”—Akil
Palanisamy, MD, Harvard-trained physician; author of The Paleovedic
Diet
“Doctors Perro and Adams have made the complex topic of the
interrelationship between the gut, brain, and the food our kids eat
accessible to all. In my own experience, autism recovery is rarely
possible without a dietary overhaul and a focus on whole, organic,
and natural foods. This book is a welcome resource for parents
struggling with their children’s chronic health conditions.”—J. B.
Handley, cofounder, Generation Rescue
“What’s Making Our Children Sick? is a true clarion call to
parents, physicians, and policymakers everywhere to change the way
we grow the food we eat. Unless we move away from industrialized
food sources that are created for the lowest short-term costs, we
and our children will continue to experience increased chronic
disease, immune dysfunction, and mental health problems. The
transformation of our nutrition is not simply for our children and
us, but also for future generations and our dear planet. It is
almost as though we are all Romans drinking wine out of lead-lined
bottles. Future generations will wonder why we have been so
blind, deaf, and dumb.”—Dana Ullman, MPH, CCH, author
of Homeopathic Medicine for Children and
Infants and The Homeopathic Revolution
“Industrial medicine and agriculture, with wholesale government
approval, have caused an epidemic of chronic childhood illness
largely traceable to ubiquitous poisons and alien DNA in our food
supply. A clinical argument for organic foods, What’s Making Our
Children Sick? is a stop-look-listen book for parents,
doctors, teachers, and grocery shoppers everywhere.”—Carol Van
Strum, author of A Bitter Fog: Herbicides and Human Rights
“Dr. Perro was one of the first American pediatricians to connect
the dots from GMOs to intestinal permeability, suffering children,
and overwhelmed parents. Over the years her knowledge base for
solutions has increased exponentially, as has the health of her
young patients. Food-focused medicine, as she and Vincanne Adams
detail in What’s Making Our Children Sick?, is a clarion call
to us all.”—Samm Simpson, cohost, The Power Hour Radio Broadcast;
associate producer, Genetic Roulette
“Perro and Adams’ book is an alarming, eye-opening read that
documents more clearly than ever the devastating consequences that
pervasive pesticide use in food production is having on our health,
and the urgent need to protect our children from a system that
prefers we treat illness and disease with pills rather than
prevention.”—Carey Gillam, journalist, author; research director,
consumer advocacy group U.S. Right to Know
“With a deep understanding of the multiple sources of health and
illness, Perro and Adams have collaborated to investigate the
conundrum of children’s complex ailments. Their clear-eyed cry for
a food-focused ecomedicine urges a rethinking of clinical care and
a reorganization of our food industries. Comprehensive and
original, this book offers insights for all concerned with our
children, our families, and our health.”—Sharon R. Kaufman, PhD,
chair, Department of Anthropology, History and Social Medicine,
University of California, San Francisco
“Children in the United States are sick and getting sicker. Food
allergies and sensitivities, digestive problems, and serious
behavioral issues are driving parents to distraction. In this
important book, pediatrician Michelle Perro and medical
anthropologist Vincanne Adams explore Dr. Perro’s clinical case
histories and the scientific literature to find out what’s at the
root of the problem. They are convinced that our industrialized
food is a chief culprit. Pesticides and genetically modified (GM)
foods have introduced known and potential toxins into the food
supply, turning it into a “slow poison.” Time and again, seemingly
intractable health problems in Dr. Perro’s young patients respond
well, sometimes almost miraculously, when chemically grown and GM
foods are eliminated from the diet and replaced with organic
foods. No matter how many of the agrichemical industry’s
lobbyists and PR people bombard us with claims that pesticide
residues and GMOs in our foods are safe, the experiences of Dr.
Perro’s patients are hard to deny and tell a different story. The
book is a must-read for health practitioners and parents
alike.”—Claire Robinson, editor, GMWatch; coauthor of GMO Myths and
Truths
“Perro and Adams offer a unique analysis regarding the role
industrialized food plays in the decline of our children’s
health. What’s Making our Children Sick? provides an
uncommon but extraordinary blend of clinical medicine and medical
anthropology via an expert, in-depth analysis as to the root cause
of this health epidemic, beginning with the gut. Filled with both
knowledge and compassion, the authors, on a step-by-step readable
journey, reveal how our children have become toxic from the very
foods that are purportedly nutritious. This book will have wide
readership from those who want to improve their own children’s
health to the medical clinics of healthcare providers.”—Dr. Richard
Horowitz, bestselling author of How Can I Get Better? An Action
Plan for Treating Resistant Lyme and Chronic Disease
“A powerful exposé of the science and clinical evidence
pointing to our food production system as a key cause of the
chronic illnesses affecting so many children. Most
importantly, What’s Making Our Children Sick? offers hope
and a path forward for how food-focused medicine can heal our
bodies and help our families.”—Stacy Malkan, author of Not
Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry
“In a world where we are overexposed to thousands of dangerous
toxic chemicals, education is key. This book’s clear, comprehensive
information is a godsend for parents with sick children, and
clinicians in the dark about the cause of the epidemic of
chronically ill kids. Bravo to Drs. Perro and Adams for opening our
eyes to what’s really going on.”—Beth Greer, bestselling author of
Super Natural Home
“In this timely book, Perro and Adams explain the powerful role of
the gut-brain connection in the crisis we face today with
rising rates of autoimmune and neurological diseases among
children. Michelle Perro is a clinician who has witnessed
firsthand the dramatic recovery patients achieve after they
reduce their toxic burden from chemically laden industrial
food.”—Stephanie Seneff, PhD, senior research scientist, MIT
Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
“What role might the techniques and chemicals of industrial
agriculture play in the escalating rates of chronic ailments in
American children? This vital new book steps the reader through the
medicine, policy, and science with the clarity and reasoned insight
that scholars of science and medicine have come to expect from
Vincanne Adams.”—Julie Livingston, MPH, PhD, professor, New York
University; MacArthur Fellow
“In this novel work of public scholarship, Vincanne Adams
and Michelle Perro instruct us on the devastating embodied
cost of industrial food production: complex chronic illness in
children. What’s Making Our Children Sick? is an
investigation into an urgent public health crisis and an
ethnography of the parents and practitioners fighting
to change modern medicine.”—Emma Shaw Crane, coeditor
of Territories of Poverty: Rethinking North and South
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