Encyclopedia of Natural Hea

The author really understands why children are sick and what makes them healthy. I disagree with some of the dietary guidelines, especially the ones recommending soy or tofu, but beyond that, a very clear, easy to understand and excellent book on natural health with mostly accurate information. Review is by Ramiel Nagel author of Healing Our Children: Because Your New Baby Matters! Sacred Wisdom for Preconception, Pregnancy, Birth and Parenting (ages 0-6) & Cure Tooth Decay: Heal and Prevent Cavities with Nutrition (First Edition).

Mary Bove has done a masterful job in creating a comprehensive resource for both parents and practitioners. Before subjecting your children to dangerous long-term medications, this book should be considered "first-line therapy." Parents should challange their children's doctors and practitioners should think about the consequences of the overuse of dangerous drug therapy. This book is a great place to start. Dr. Glenn Gero, Holistic Naturopathic Center

I am not one of those people that boycotts medical doctors, but I do like to have alternatives to the overabundance of prescription medications out there. This book is great because it gives you information about all sorts of ailments, and different ways to treat them using natural products, as well as ways to measure how much to give to your children.

This is a great book, but must be used with common "mommy" sense. Some of the things in the book will go against what your pediatrician will recommend, and thats fine, but you need to make a choice based on both sources of wonderful information to decide what is best for your child. One thing that did really bother me is that there is a recipe for teething that involves honey-honey should NEVER be given to an infant under one year of age because it can be potentialy deadly. And since most babies begin teething between 6-9 months I was a bit upset that this risk was not mentioned. The information on making infusions, oils and the like is great though. I would recommend the book to anyone who has common sense about herbs and has a desire to raise a child without the use of a lot of man made medicines.

Top notch practical information from one of the most experienced herbalists in North America. Bove has degrees in both the British and naturopathic schools of herbalism, is a midwife, and has a busy practice caring for women and children. The book is readable, practical and suitable training for self-care by the lay public.